Backroads
by tesselation
Summary: Sage Kelley thinks she's finally picked a major that will stick and transfers to a new school. Bucky Barnes has had a few setbacks and is what you'd call a "super senior." They're both just trying to figure it out and hopefully eventually graduate. Some people know what they want and go straight for it, and some people take the scenic route. College AU, Bucky/OC
1. American Girl

College was absolutely the best time of my life, and I feel like those poor Avengers were sorely deprived. This story is largely influenced by my own alma mater/college experiences. For now the school and town in which it resides will remain nameless. I'm basing the school off of a large state school in a small, but very awesome town.

This story is mostly just for fun, and I hope it's a bit of fun for y'all, too. This is college, so there's swearing, drinking, and general debauchery. Each chapter is named for a song. I'm going for a Southern Americana, alternative rock/country/indie feel here.

"American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

* * *

A loud pop, shrieks of laughter, shattering glass, and the sound of cheap champagne slashing onto the floor filled the room. It was four in the afternoon, a warm Friday. The sight of the cork flying into a hanging picture that had only been hung on the wall for all of forty-five minutes, knocking it off its nail, and crashing onto the floor, sent the two girls into hysterics.

"To finally being roommates!" the blonde, Sharon, toasted holding her empty plastic cup into the air.

"Hear, hear!" replied Sharon's new roommate, hoisting the now half empty bottle of champagne into the air. She took a swig straight from the bottle, and handed it to Sharon, who did the same.

"You don't think this is a bad omen or anything, do you?" the new roommate, Sage, asked as she went to collect the print from the floor, shaking the broken glass off.

"It better not be. I can't afford an bad omens this semester," Sharon replied as she reached under the kitchen sink for the dustpan. The two girls cleaned up the mess and trashed the glass and frame.

The girls had just finished moving all of their possessions into their new apartment. The kitchen had been unpacked, the shared bathroom sorted out, and the mismatched collection of living room furniture were all more or less in their places. Although, Sage wasn't too sure about the orientation of the sofa yet.

Sharon arrived at the apartment a few hours before Sage, so she had a jumpstart on putting her own bedroom together. Her bed was made and her clothes were all put away. Sage's room was covered in piles of clothing that, at one time, was organized and categorized, but the system had long since broken down into nonsense. Her bedding was all still in a box somewhere.

Sage plopped down into the oversized plaid chair, a worn hand-me-down she had collected a few years ago. Sharon settled onto the sofa, her phone in hand.

"Some friends of mine are all meeting up on the drag later," Sharon announced as she scrolled through her phone. The drag was a term all the students used for a street block close to campus, which housed nothing but bars and late night restaurants.

Sharon was in her last year of school. She knew the school, the town, and had a large social circle. Sage, on the other hand, had just transferred, and she knew nobody but Sharon, her childhood friend.

"All I want to do is get my shit together in my room and take a shower," Sage replied. She felt sweaty and grungy after a day of moving all of her stuff up two flights of stairs on a hot late summer day.

"It'll be fun! We'll induct you into the gang, and I could really use a wing woman," Sharon argued, trying to get Sage to change her mind.

"I'm not in fighting shape," Sage complained. She didn't feel like putting herself together and she certainly didn't have the energy to impress Sharon's group of friends.

Sharon sighed and accepted that Sage would be spending the evening in. The two girls finished what was left of the champagne bottle, and Sharon went into her room to get ready while Sage mopped up the spilled champagne from the floor. While Sage sorted through and hung up her clothing in her new closet, Sharon would wander into the room every few minutes modeling a new outfit.

"I thought this was a casual night out to a dive bar with a group of friends?" Sage questioned after Sharon showed up in her fourth outfit, tugging at the sleeve of her top.

"It is. But I haven't seen them all summer," Sharon explained, adjusting her hair in the mirror propped up against the wall.

"You mean you haven't seen that hot guy all summer and you want to remind him that you're a hot single in his area," Sage smirked. She knew all about Sharon's crush.

"Ok, true, but I'm trying not to be too obvious about it," Sharon confessed with a sigh. "Is this shirt see-through?"

Sage rolled her eyes, and left the room. Sharon followed her into her own room, watching as Sage started rummaging through her closet.

"Keep the shorts, but try this top," Sage instructed, pulling out a more casual loose fitting tank top. It was more weather appropriate than the silky blouse Sharon had on. "You don't want to look like you're trying too hard."

"This is why we're roommates," Sharon smiled as she took the top from Sage and changed. Sharon begged only two more times for Sage to join her at the bar with her friends, but eventually left her alone in the apartment.

Sage put on some music and finished putting her room together around midnight. She finally took a long, hot shower, and put on a comfy pair of shorts and tee shirt from her last college.

Sharon had an abundance of ambition and drive. She knew what she wanted. Sage, on the other hand, was a bit of a searcher. She was ambitious, but she also had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. She had changed majors twice already, taken a year off, and transferred to a new school. She probably should have gone out to meet new people, but laying down seemed much more inviting.

Sage settled into bed, switched on her bedside lamp, and starting scrolling through her phone. Her body was tired, but her mind wasn't quite ready to call it a day.

A few minutes went by, and Sage could hear the front door being unlocked. She heard the door open, and suddenly there were several voices filling the apartment and light suddenly seeped under the door.

Sage sat up and listened, setting her phone down next to her. She could hear Sharon and a few other voices, though she couldn't tell how many. She could hear footsteps moving about the apartment when Sage decided to get out of bed. She was halfway to the door when she heard a knock on her door. She opened it slightly to see Sharon, who slid into the room.

"I'm so sorry, I hope we didn't wake you!" Sharon apologized, her cheeks rosy from a fun night out.

"No worries, I haven't gone to bed yet," Sage replied. "Did you bring the hot guy with you?"

"Shhh!" Sharon shushed, glancing towards the door fearfully. "Yeah, but we're not alone. They wanted to see the new place. Come meet everyone!"

Sage knew there would be no getting out of this, not without looking like a stick in the mud.

"Let me put on a bra at least," Sage muttered as she went to pull a bra out of the underwear pile under he window. She didn't have a dresser yet. Sharon looked around the almost complete room as Sage pulled off her tee shirt, pulled on the bra, and then pulled her shirt back on. Sharon grabbed Sage's wrist and ushered her out into the living room.

Two guys sat on the sofa, a girl was poking around in the fridge, and another guy was pulling down glasses from the cabinet next to the sink.

"Guys, this is Sage," Sharon announced, dropping Sage's wrist and moving to help the girl in the fridge who was pulling a bottle of Svedka from the freezer.

"How you doing," the guy nearest her stepped over and offered his hand. Sage took it. "I'm Sam."

"Sage. Nice to meet you," she smiled warmly.

"Natasha," the redhead stated as she took several shot glasses from Sam and started pouring out vodka shots.

Sage recognized the blonde on the sofa, who stood and crossed the room to shake her hand. Sharon had shown her plenty of his photos during a major online stalking session.

"I'm Steve," he introduced with a kind smile and firm handshake. "That's Bucky," he said, gesturing towards the guy on the sofa, who lifted his bottle of beer in greeting.

"Sorry if we woke you," Steve apologized.

"Nah, y'all are fine. I only just finished unpacking."

"What's your shot, Sage?" Natasha called from across the room.

"Oh, hold on!" Sage held up a finger and dashed off into her room. She returned a second later with a bottle of silver tequila and handed it to Natasha who poured out a shot.

"Make that two!" Bucky called from the sofa. Natasha poured out another tequila shot, and started passing around the shot glasses, gathering everyone around the island separating the kitchen from the living room. Bucky left the sofa and joined everyone, standing between Sam and Sage. She wasn't short by any means, but Sage couldn't help but notice how tall Bucky was. She looked around and realized that Steve and Sam were tall, too.

"To another semester!" Sharon toasted. Everyone raised their shots in the air, and downed their drinks.

Sharon handed out cans of beer from the fridge, and took Bucky's abandoned empty bottle from the coffee table as everyone gathered around it. Sage realized that the bottle couldn't have come from their supply in the apartment, and that he must have brought it with him back from the bar.

Sage claimed her spot in her big plaid chair and curled her legs up underneath her and listened as the friends all caught up. Every once in a while they would ask her a question or try and pull her more into the conversation, but it didn't take long for Sage's eyelids to start to feel heavy.


	2. Like A Rolling Stone

I think this might classify as a slow burn? After this the chapters will get a bit longer. Let me know what y'all think, what y'all want more of, what y'all want less of, if you want me to say y'all more or less, etc.

"Like a Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan

* * *

It felt like Sage had only closed her eyes for a second, when she opened them to a sunny, empty living room. She blinked and groaned, adjusting to the sunlight and stretching out the kinks from sleeping curled up in a chair. She had fallen asleep in the middle of her first meeting Sharon's friends. Sage yawned and made her way back to her own bed, where she fell back asleep for the rest of the morning.

Over the next few days, Sage finished settling into the apartment with Sharon, started her job at the rec center, and had her first day of classes. She had a very full schedule, with eighteen credit hours and her part time job.

The job seemed easy enough, though, even possibly enjoyable. The campus gym was nice and large, only a few years old, and had just about anything you could deem athletic. At two stories, the center had cardio machines, free weights, an indoor track, multiple classrooms, five basketball courts, an outdoor sand volleyball court, a large indoor pool, a slightly smaller outdoor pool, a smoothie bar, locker rooms, and two rock climbing walls that would be the focus of Sage's job. Sage had been climbing since being introduced to it one summer at camp in middle school. She's since had summer jobs at similar camps or climbing gyms, making her a natural fit. Her boss was a nice, sarcastic, scruffy guy named Clint. He was easy-going and had a wry sense of humor.

The evening after her first day of classes, Sage stood behind the guest help counter sorting through a mess of hardware, attempting to sort it into two separate boxes for t-nuts and bolts. From her spot near the entrance, Sage could see everyone coming and going. It was a good people watching spot. She recognized a few people from her classes earlier in the day, and the same guy she saw from across the library mall with a very large, very blue Mohawk. She even saw the object of Sharon's obsession, Steve, and his friend Sam, walk into the rec center. They were talking and laughing as they walked past the counter towards the weights. Sage's shift was over before they were finished with their workout, so she didn't see them again.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were the busiest days of Sage's week, with three classes each, plus a two-hour lab on Wednesday evenings. Tuesdays and Thursdays were the light days, with one class at 9 AM and another at 2 PM. Both classes were also uninteresting core classes, required for graduation or else Sage wouldn't be taking a European Theater in World War II class or Aesthetics.

For an art history major, Sage should have been more interested in the history class, but she viewed it as more tests and essays that would keep her from her major. She also had zero interest in the philosophy class.

Urging herself out of bed to get dressed and to class on time was a challenge. Only the second day of the semester and she was already considering skipping. Sage pulled on a pair of old, hole-riddled and frayed jeans, an old tee shirt, and a crumpled denim shirt. She slipped on a pair of sandals and grabbed a bottle of juice from the fridge on the way out.

The apartment was only a few blocks from campus, an easy ten-minute walk. By the time she reached the history building, she had worked up a bit of a sweat and had to pull her hair up into a messy bun to get it off her neck. It was still technically summer.

Sage found the right lecture hall for her history class, entered from the front of the room, and climbed the steps to about halfway up the rows, and sat in the aisle seat so she'd have a left-handed seat. She pulled up the writing surface from the arm rest and laid out her phone, a pen, and her juice to wait for the class to start.

The professor walked into the hall, letting the door slam closed behind him. He handed a box full of papers to a guy sitting in the front row, who then stood and started passing stacks of what seemed to be syllabi down each row as the professor set up the computer and projector.

Sage silenced her phone and pulled off her sunglasses, hanging them on the breast pocket of her denim over shirt. She looked down the aisle and realized the TA was Sharon's friend Bucky. He looked up, spotted Sage, and smiled as he continued passing out packets.

When Bucky finally reached Sage's row, he took his time counting out the right amount of syllabi.

"That shit looks nasty," he commented on Sage's green juice while still looking down at the stack of papers in his hand.

"Drinking this makes me feel less guilty about all of my unhealthy habits," Sage laughed. "So you're the TA, huh?"

"Nothing gets past you," he smirked. He handed her the stack of syllabi with a wink, and moved onto the next row. Sage rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. She now had a bit more incentive to attend the class.

The professor for the class was an older man with a sour expression named Phillips. He blew through the syllabus and immediately started lecturing. An hour and forty five minutes later, Professor Phillips dismissed the class and was the first person out of the room. Sage shoved all of her things into her open and waiting backpack and dashed out of her seat, hoping to catch Bucky before he disappeared in the crowd of students. She caught up with him in the atrium of the building.

"Hey!" she called as she caught up to him, grabbing his attention.

"Hey," he turned and smiled when he realized who was falling into step beside him.

"If you're the TA, any chance I can bribe you for a passing grade?" Sage joked.

"I adhere to a strict code of ethics," he joked back, faking a stern expression.

"Guess I'll have to keep showing up then," Sage replied.

"Yeah, but you'll have to stay awake, too," Bucky jabbed, looking down at the girl walking alongside him as they passed through the double glass doors of the building, They both pulled on their sunglasses as they stepped outside.

"Fair enough. In my defense, you caught me at the end of a very long day of moving," Sage defended herself as she unscrewed the cap of her juice bottle and finished it off.

"Seriously, that looks disgusting. Like ground up caterpillars," Bucky stuck out his tongue in disgust as he watched Sage finish the juice.

"You encounter those often?" She giggled at the thought. "It tastes like mint and pineapple."

"You're not helping your case. Those two things should not go together."

"Yeah, well, you drink Guinness, so you don't exactly have the high ground here," Sage recalled the brand of beer Bucky had brought over from the bar the night he and the others had come over.

"Don't hate!" He defended himself with a laugh. "I'm going this way. See ya Thursday," he waved as they reached an intersection in the pathway. Sage waved back and went the opposite direction, tossing her empty bottle into a nearby recycling bin. She couldn't wait to tell Sharon that her crush's best friend was her TA. She pulled her phone out and texted Sharon.

 _Captain Jawline's bestie is my history TA. Small world._ Sage typed out and sent the text as she walked towards the union. She had a feeling that if she went home before her next class at 2, she probably wouldn't come back.

 _Now that can work to our advantage!_ Sharon replied as Sage sat down at a table in the student union.

 _I don't see how, but I'm not an evil mastermind like you are._ Sage responded. She pulled her backpack onto the chair next to her, rummage around through it, and pulled out a David Hockney biography to read until her class.

The philosophy class was dull, and there wasn't an attractive TA to add interest either. After class, Sage ran home for a quick meal, changed clothes, then set off for work.

That evening, Sage was on belay duty. The wall was located just beyond the guest help desk near the entrance. Usually there were sign up sheets for time slots on the wall, but not too many people had signed up that evening.

Sage was waiting for the 6 PM appointment to show up when she spotted Steve entering the gym. She smirked to herself as she made a mental note. She'd have to tell Sharon to start hanging out at the rec center in the early evenings to casually "run into" Steve.

Sage played with a carabiner as she locked eyes with Steve across the room. He smiled and headed towards her.

"I didn't know you worked here," he greeted warmly, stepping up to the railing separating the climbing area from the rest of the gym.

"Oh, yeah, four days a week," Sage answered, matching his warm smile. Sharon definitely had good taste. Steve was classically handsome, but also very clean-cut, like a J. Crew model. He wasn't Sage's taste, but handsome was handsome.

"You work with Clint?" Steve asked as he looked up the climbing wall.

"Yeah, he's my boss," Sage replied.

"He's a friend. A good guy," Steve commented.

"He's a cool dude," Sage agreed.

"I've never climbed one of these before. Now that I know two people that work on the wall, maybe I should sign up," said Steve as he eyed the harness Sage wore.

"Totally. Though maybe Clint should belay for you. If you fell, I'd probably shoot through the roof," Sage commented on Steve's formidable size. He was without a doubt ripped. He chuckled lightly at the image Sage created.

"Safety first. I'm supposed to meet my friend here, but I think he's running late. Again," Steve explained, hoping Sage didn't think he was bothering her for no reason. "You remember my friend Bucky?"

"Do I. He's my history TA now," Sage told him with a smile.

"Wow, good luck with that," he laughed.

"Steve!" someone shouted from across the way. Sage and Steve turned towards the entrance to see Bucky quickly approaching.

"Speak of the devil," Steve started.

"Sorry I'm late, man," Bucky apologized as he reached Steve standing at the railing.

"Hey. Nice helmet," Bucky greeted Sage with a smirk as he reached over the railing and knocked on Sage's bright orange helmet. She swatted his hand away.

"Sage just told me that she's in your class," Steve said, trying not to roll his eyes at the way Bucky teased Sage.

"Yeah, between me and Phillips, it'll be a miracle if she passes," Bucky answered, eyeing Sage in her getup. Underneath the orange helmet, matching harness, and bundle of ropes clipped to her hip, she wore long black yoga pants, which Bucky was a huge fan of, and a white tee shirt with the rec center logo on it. He could just make out the outline of her black sports bra through the white cotton of the shirt.

"I'm not above bribery," Sage joked, bringing a smile to Bucky's mouth. He considered making a comment about sexual favors, but decided against it.

"We should get started," Steve said, turning to Bucky who nodded in agreement. "A bunch of us are going out on Friday night. You should come, too. Sharon knows the details," Steve invited as he and Bucky stepped away form the railing.

"Cool," Sage answered as the two guys walked off towards the weights. A few moments later, her six o'clock showed up and she got to work.

"Tell me all about your history class!" Sharon demanded the second Sage stepped into the apartment after her shift. She was sitting on the sofa, balancing a plate of pasta on one knee, and a textbook on the other. Sage walked into the living area, dropped her backpack on the ground, and sank into her plaid chair.

"The professor is a total hard ass," Sage complained, knowing that Sharon didn't care about the professor and only wanted to hear about the TA. Sharon rolled her eyes.

"You know what I meant," she chastised.

"It was fine. He handed me a syllabus, we talked a little bit after class. Then I saw him and Steve at the rec earlier," Sage explained as she kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the coffee table. "You need to go in the early evenings, by the way. I've seen Steve there twice now."

"Noted. What did you guys talk about?" Sharon pressed.

"Nothing," Sage shrugged. Sharon sighed exasperatedly.

"I need you to step it up so we can all go on double dates," Sharon said, then took a bite of pasta.

"Me and Bucky?" Sage questioned.

"Why not? He's cute. I've always thought he was your type," Sharon explained with a casual shrug.

"He's a little bit of a jerk," Sage mused.

"Yeah but you're into that. You've always been into guys that can dish it out."

"They have to be able to take it, too, though," Sage amended.

"He can. He's got a good sense of humor. He's got that devil-may-care, bad boy thing going for him," Sharon tried to summarize Bucky's personality type.

"No kidding. I didn't think the hair met country club dress codes," Sage joked sarcastically, noting Bucky's longer than average hair and scruffy facial hair. If Steve was J. Crew, Bucky was REI.

"What the hell kind of name is Bucky anyway?" Sage asked as she toed off her socks.

"It's short for something," Sharon answered, then took another bite of pasta. "We're all going out on Friday, by the way. You need to come this time."

"Steve mentioned that. I'm down."

"Wait, is it ethically frowned upon for a TA to date a student in his class?" Sharon asked as she thought through her dream scenario a little more. Sage got up to make her own plate of pasta in the kitchen.

"It's probably fine. It's not like I'm underage, and he's not the professor," Sage answered. It probably wasn't an encouraged scenario, but she couldn't see anything truly wrong with it, so long as he didn't give her undeserved grades. Plus they weren't even involved.

"I'm going to take a shower and read for a while," Sage announced as she picked her backpack up off the floor and headed towards her room with her dinner. Sharon muttered a 'later' and smiled as she daydreamed about double dates.


	3. Rebel Heart

Like I said, chapters getting much longer now. Let me know y'all's opinions!

"Rebel Heart" by the Shelters

* * *

Thursday morning finally came around, and Sage was running late. Her body still wasn't quite used to getting up early, and she had fallen back asleep after her alarm, leaving only fifteen minutes until her history class started when she finally woke back up. Panic replaced the sleepy feeling as she rushed around her room. She threw off her nightshirt, pulled on a sports bra and another shirt she picked up from the floor. She decided it would be quicker to go in the athletic shorts she slept in, and slid on athletic shoes, not even thinking about socks. She brushed her teeth in record time, probably disappointing dentists everywhere. On the way out of the apartment, Sage grabbed her backpack from the living room floor and a fresh bottle of juice from the fridge. Once she was outside of the building, she started running. Professor Phillips didn't seem like he'd be kind to late comers, and she didn't feel like getting yelled at in front of the TA, or the one hundred other students in the lecture hall.

Once inside the building, Sage slowed down and tried to even out her heavy breathing while wiping the sweat from her face. The time on her phone indicated she as only three minutes late as she approached the back entrance of the lecture hall that opened up to the last row of seats.

Some merciful angel had propped the door open with a brick, so that Sage wouldn't make quite as much noise in her entrance. Through the crack, she could hear Philips beginning his lecture. She opened the door a few inches and peaked inside, spotting Phillips down at the desk, plugging his flash drive into the computer. He seemed distracted enough as he introduced the day's topic while focusing on the computer screen as he pulled up the slide show for the projector.

Sage silently slid through the door, and carefully closed it behind her. She had just reached the closest empty aisle seat and was about to sink down into it when Phillips called her out.

"Anyone ever hear 'better late than never'? In regards to this class, I'd prefer never," Professor Phillips announced loudly from the front of the lecture hall, turning his gaze from the computer screen to Sage, who was still standing like an idiot. The rest of the class turned around to stare at her. Phillips stared at her until she finally sunk down into the seat, her face, ears, and neck all red from embarrassment.

"The next person to be late to this class will be asked to leave. So next time, just stay in bed," Phillips turned his attention to warn the entire class. Everyone turned back towards the front, except for the only person sitting in the first three rows. Bucky stood out easily, sitting in the very first seat, body angled towards the opposite corner where Sage sat. He looked thoroughly amused at the public shaming. Phillips wasted no more time and began his lecture, forcing Bucky to turn back around in his seat. Sage unzipped her backpack as quietly as she could to pull out a notebook and pen. She fought the urge to curse as she realized she was on the wrong end of the aisle and had to suffer through a right-handed writing surface.

Sage didn't dare touch her juice or phone, in fear of Phillips somehow noticing and throwing her out of the class. When he finally dismissed everyone, she was the first one out of the door, eager to get as far away as possible. She had just burst through the entrance doors when someone called her name. Sage turned around, looking for the source. She had a feeling it was Bucky.

A light tug on her backpack startled Sage, who whirled around to come face to face with the guy. His sunglasses shielded his eyes, but a toothy grin spread across the bottom half of his face.

"Running a bit late this morning?" he questioned, conspicuously looking her up and down. He particularly liked the short running shorts. They showed off her toned legs and the remainder of a nice summer tan. When his eyes reached her face, he could easily tell that she had slept in on accident. Her bare face was shiny, and her haphazardly pulled back hair was a little greasy. He was a little surprised to realize that he didn't quite mind it, though. She looked completely raw, but it was kind of refreshing, She didn't seem to mind at all either. Had it been any other girl he caught in such a state, she'd be self-consciously trying to hide the imperfections while making some excuse to dash off. But Sage had her feet firmly planted, looking him directly in the eye.

"I'm lucky I had time to put on a bra and shoes. I was this close to completely sleeping through class," she answered, holding up her hand with her thumb and pointer finger only a centimeter or two apart to demonstrate her point. The brief mention of Sage going braless picked up Bucky's heart rate a little. He was no stranger to bras, or lack thereof, but the idea of this particular girl's chest was more interesting than most.

"I heard a bunch of girls chanting 'free the nipple' in some protest by the library yesterday, and there was this weird kid in my environmental science class freshman year that literally never wore shoes. You'd be in good company if in the future you decide to forgo shoes and bras," Bucky remarked.

"It's all fun and games until you step on some broken glass and get an infection," Sage replied in a light tone. "So what are the chances that Phillips hates me?"

"Don't let him connect a name to the face and you'll be fine. Don't give him any more ammo for a while," Bucky suggested.

"I get a scary grandfather vibe from him. Like he's tough as hell, but he's secretly a nice guy," Sage commented. Phillips was blunt, prone to swearing, and loud, but if you paid close enough attention, he peppered in a few deadpan jokes into his lectures.

"In a nutshell. He's a good guy if you can prove you're not an idiot," Bucky agreed.

"Is it hard to be his TA?" Sage asked. The two started walking away from the building then, falling into step together.

"Not yet. Ask me again when I have to start grading all the essays he's going to assign," Bucky shrugged. "I owe him though."

"Really?" Sage encouraged Bucky to continue. She sensed a history.

"Yeah. I failed his American government class a few years back, and he gave me another chance. We actually have a deal. I'm his TA and he'll help me with my thesis," he explained, shedding some flattering light on the grouchy professor. "I'm going this way," he slowed his pace as they reached the same intersection from the other day. They waved at each other simultaneously as they parted ways.

"Wait!" Sage turned her head to look back at Bucky, who stood several yards away now. "You're coming out tomorrow night, right?" he called.

"Yeah!" she yelled back, smiling.

"Good!" he responded, then turned back around and continued on his path. Sage tried to keep the smile off her face as she headed home to take a shower and properly get dressed before her afternoon class.

Sage trudged into the apartment right at 7 PM, Friday evening. Sharon had music blasting from her bedroom, and had mercifully left Chinese takeout containers out on the kitchen island, ready for whenever Sage made it home.

"Is this too much eye makeup?" Sharon asked over the music as she emerged from her room, beer can in one hand and an eyeliner pencil in the other. She was already getting ready for the night out. Sage surveyed Sharon's makeup, then shoved a forkful of noodles into her mouth.

"Not if you're Ru Paul," she answered with her mouth full. Sharon shot her roommate a deadly glare.

"I knew it," Sharon sighed, then retreated back into her room. Sage dropped her backpack on the ground, and took her container of lo mein to her plaid chair.

"When am I supposed to be presentable?" Sage asked, raising her voice loud enough for Sharon to hear over the music in the next room.

"I told Nat we'd meet her around 8:30," Sharon answered as she walked back into the room. Sage looked up to see that Sharon had completely removed all of the eye makeup.

"Where are we going again?" Sage asked before slurping up a particularly long noodle.

"Lou's," Sharon answered.

"Do I have time for a nap?"

"Sage!" Sharon cried. She knew that if Sage laid down for a nap, she'd be done for the rest of the night. She was determined to weave her roommate into her friend group, and Sage going to bed would not help things. Sage groaned and threw her head back against the chair. She was tired from her long day, and even just the thought of getting ready seemed daunting and tiresome.

The two girls eyed each other, challenging the other to yield. Finally Sage sighed dramatically as she stood from the comfort of her chair, slammed the carton of noodles onto the coffee table, and stomped into her room.

Sage took her sweet time to get ready. She didn't have the energy for a shower, and taking one seemed pointless when she'd end up smelling like smoke, beer, and sweat by the end of the night anyway. A bit of dry shampoo, washing her face, a fresh coat of deodorant, and reapplying light makeup was the most effort Sage was willing to put forth.

Satisfied with her hair and makeup, Sage laid down on top of her bed, phone in hand, when Sharon came into the room with two fresh beer cans in hand. She handed one to Sage as she took a sip from her own.

"Don't get too comfortable. It's already a quarter past," Sharon warned as she left the room again. Sage rolled her eyes and chugged half of the cold beer right then and there before standing to get dressed. Sharon had been wearing form fitting black jeans, strappy sandals, and a lacey tank top. She always dressed a lot fancier than Sage cared for.

Sage sipped at her beer as she stood in front of her tiny closet, trying to decide what to wear. Sharon's style was more sophisticated. She favored dark colors, clean lines, and good tailoring. Sage didn't even own a pair of jeans without any holes in them, most of her tops were thrifted vintage tees or denim shirts, and she was a big fan of the athleisure trend.

"Natasha told me that Bucky has been talking to Steve about you," Sharon startled Sage. She was completely ready to go, little black cross-body purse and all, and leaning on the doorframe of Sage's room.

"Is he saying good things or bad things?" Sage questioned. It was a genuine question, as she really couldn't tell what sort of impression he had of her. He acted pretty nice towards her, cracking jokes and teasing. But she had also fallen asleep on him and been late to his class, all while looking a hot mess.

"Let's just say that I'll be surprised if he doesn't try to get you to go home with him tonight," Sharon grinned, which broke out into a wide smile and a bark of laughter as she noticed the blush creep along Sage's cheeks.

"That would be a bad idea. Right? I mean I don't even really know any of your friends. God knows what they'd think," Sage mused. She didn't want to create a reputation for herself amongst Sharon's friends so soon after meeting them.

"I mean, I think you two would make the most annoyingly cute couple," Sharon replied, not really answering the question. Sage sighed.

"Now I feel like I actually need to try," she said, pulling a shirt out of her closet and inspecting it more than she would have just a moment ago.

"I didn't psych you out, did I?" Sharon asked, noticing the line of worry creep across Sage's forehead as she narrowed her eyes at the clothes hanging in her closet.

Sage sighed, expelling her sudden emergence of nerves in the exhale. She determinedly yanked a shirt off the hanger, ripped off the one she had on, then forcefully pulled the new one over her head.

"Let me curl your hair?" Sharon suggested as Sage poked her arms through the sleeves.

"We'll be late," Sage warned. She didn't really want to fuss over her hair, and hoped that the time crunch would make Sharon change her mind without her having to outright refuse.

"So what? Everyone's always late," Sharon waved off the concern and left the room to retrieve her curling wand from the bathroom. She was back a second later, plugged the tool into the outlet next to Sage's already cluttered desk, and pulled out the chair for Sage to sit. She knew there was no easy way out of it, so Sage agreed. She quickly pulled off her shorts, found a clean pair of jeans in one of her piles of clothes under the window, and shimmied into them. She then sat in the chair, ready for Sharon to style her hair.

"Don't you have any jeans without holes in them?" Sharon teased as she raked her fingers through Sage's hair and started sectioning it off.

"Don't make me look like JonBenet. And honestly, I don't think that I do," Sage answered. Sharon rolled her eyes at the beauty pageant comment, but continued on. She had long since mastered curling wands, so she knew how to softly and subtly curl Sage's hair. The whole thing only took ten minutes.

Sharon unplugged the tool and grabbed her purse. Sage strapped on sandals with a chunky wooden heel, then rummaged through her backpack until she found her wallet.

"Hold on," Sharon surveyed Sage's outfit, simple but still cute, and decided she needed a little something. She rifled through Sage's jewelry box and made her selection. As Sage shoved her wallet and phone into a small cross body, Sharon fastened a delicate gold necklace around her roommate's neck, narrowly avoiding choking her. "A little something shiny so he looks at your boobs," Sharon explained, then tugged the front of Sage's shirt down a bit more, exposing more of her cleavage.

"You're an evil genius," Sage laughed. Done with primping, the girls turned off all the lights in the apartment and made their way to the bar. As they walked the short distance, Sage violently tousled her hair, then smoothed it back out with her fingers.

"Hey!" Sharon cried as Sage ruined her work.

"I looked too good," Sage laughed. The pretty, polished waves Sharon put in Sage's hair were nice, but they weren't her. She was far from polished. They approached the bar and pulled out their ID's to get in before Sharon could admonish Sage more for it.

"I see Nat," Sharon pointed to the far end of the patio, where a bright head of red hair stuck out from the crowd.

"I'll get drinks," Sage offered, then weaved into the crowd leaving Sharon behind, presumably to meet up with her group.

"Hey!" Sharon greeted, placing a hand on Natasha's upper arm to grab her attention, just in case she didn't hear her over the crowd.

Natasha turned and smiled at her friend. "Where's your roommate? I thought we were setting her up?" Natasha asked, skipping past pleasantries completely.

"He's not here yet, is he?" Sharon asked, taking a quick scan of the patio.

"I'm right here, ladies! No need to worry," Clint interjected, having overheard what he could only assume was another scheme. He hugged Sharon, who he hadn't seen since last semester.

"Hey Clint. Are Steve and Bucky here yet?" Sharon asked.

"I don't think so. When I talked to Rogers last, they were stopping at the Garage for Sam's friend's birthday or something," Clint offered, punctuating with a shrug and a sip form his pint glass.

"We're trying to set Sharon's roommate up with Barnes," Natasha explained to Clint.

"Woah, why doesn't anyone ever try to set me up with anyone?" Clint questioned, feigning offence. Sharon and Natasha rolled their eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Clint noticed a large group getting ready to leave a table, leaving it up for grabs. Wordlessly, he set down his empty glass and grabbed Natasha and Sharon, steering them by their shoulders towards the soon to be vacant table.

After it seemed like Sage had been gone a while, Sharon checked her phone to make sure she hadn't tried to call. She looked around, wondering where her roommate had gone, thinking maybe their move to the table confused Sage.

"There he is!" Clint yelled, standing immediately. Natasha and Sharon turned to see Steve pushing his way through the crowd, followed by Bucky. Steve and Clint hugged, having not seen each other in a few months. Bucky shook Clint's hand. They were friends, but he wasn't as close to Clint as Steve was.

Steve slid onto the bench next to Sharon and warmly greeted her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder in a quick side hug.

"I'm going to the bar. Refills?" Bucky announced, still standing. He already knew Steve's order, and knew Natasha would throw any drink in his face that wasn't vodka based.

"Surprise me!" Clint answered.

"Hey, Sage is in there somewhere. See if you can't find her?" Sharon instructed. Bucky nodded and set off to the bar inside, propelled by the idea of finding Sage.

As he made his way towards the crowd around the bar, he searched the room for Sage's warm brown hair, but there were quite a few brunettes. He wished he had asked Sharon what Sage was wearing so he'd have a bit more to look for in the crowd. Maybe she was waiting at the bar.

If there was anything he was good at, it was getting to be next in line at the bar, no matter how big the crowd was. He was good at finding gaps and using his size to gently force his way through. And if anyone got mad and called him out, he was usually charming enough to snake his way out of any real heat. As he wormed his way right up to the bar, he came to stand next a pretty girl, if her backside was anything to go off of. She filled her jeans nicely, and a wave of something sweet smelling was sent his way when she flipped her hair over her shoulder to shout her order to the bartender. With her hair out of the way, Bucky realized it was Sage.

"And three Millers! We're together!" he ordered the second Sage was done, catching the bartender's attention before he left to fetch her order. Sage looked confusedly to her right until she realized who had hijacked her order.

"Sharon said you were taking too long," Bucky said with a friendly smile, turning to face Sage, leaning his weight causally against the bar.

"There's a fuckton of people here!" Sage defended herself, causing Bucky to bark out a laugh.

"Is a fuckton metric or standard?" he teased. Sage rolled her eyes but smiled anyway. The bartender placed two identical highballs in front of Sage. Before he could turn to fetch Bucky's beers, Bucky added on to the order.

"I also need a red Russian," Bucky ordered. The bartender nodded in acknowledgement, dropped three bottles of Miller in front of Bucky, then went off to make the last cocktail.

"What are you drinking?" Bucky asked Sage as he pulled out his wallet to get ready for the bartender's return.

"What the fuck is a red Russian?" Sage asked, ignoring his question as she took a sip from her straw.

"Something that'll piss off Natasha," Bucky answered, handing a card to the returned bartender. "Leave it open."

Sage grabbed the red cocktail, balancing three highballs in her hands, leaving Bucky to grab the beers. He followed her through the crowd, admiring the view, and mentally cursing anyone who got in the way to disrupt it. Sage spotted Sharon waving at her, now seated at a table.

"I got next round," she told Bucky before they approached the table. He didn't have time to argue.

"Well if it isn't my favorite employee!" Clint exclaimed, as Sage and Bucky set down all of the drinks on the table. Sage smiled at her boss and laughed, not expecting to see him with the group.

"What the hell is this?" Natasha asked, pulling a face, as Bucky handed her the red cocktail with an impish smirk.

The only two spots available at the table were across from each other, one next to Steve, and the other next to Clint. Sage handed Sharon her drink, then moved to hug Clint and stand next to him, making the decision for Bucky pretty easy. Even if he didn't get to sit next to her, he at least got to look across the table at her.

"I had no idea you knew Sharon," Sage said to Clint.

"Yeah, she's part of the gang. She's not an OG like me, though," Clint explained.

"Don't ever say that again," Natasha warned at Clint's use of slang, then turned her sights on Bucky. "This tastes like a My Little Pony, Barnes," her voice was icy.

"It's called a red Russian," he explained proudly. Natasha immediately rolled her eyes, pushed the drink away, wordlessly stood from the table and stalked off to the bar to get herself a proper drink.

"What is a red Russian?" Steve questioned his friend.

"Cherry schnapps and vodka," Bucky answered proudly. Everyone made a face, disgusted by the thought of cherry flavored alcohol. Sage couldn't help a small giggle, immediately inflating Bucky's ego. He felt a small swell of pride in his chest.

Natasha didn't come back for a while, and eventually Clint slid further down the bench to give him self and Sage more room. Sharon and Steve had long since fallen into their own conversation. Once Bucky noticed his best friend and roommate was talking to Sharon, and only Sharon, he felt a little proud. Steve had been carrying a torch for the blonde for what felt like ages, and Bucky was ready for something to finally happen. He was tired of talking about how Steve felt, and ready for Steve to finally take some action. He wondered if maybe tonight was the night.

While Steve and Sharon talked, Bucky, Clint, and Sage fell into an easy conversation.

"This girl has the best climbing resume I've ever seen at the rec center. I'll have her setting her own courses in no time," Clint bragged about his newest employee, as if he had scouted and hand picked her himself. Truth was, Sage had applied for a student job at the rec center right after enrolling in classes, and had expected to get stuck swiping IDs into the gym or pulling towel duty. She didn't even meet Clint until after her safety orientation.

"I'll gladly set courses, I just don't want to be the one to take them down and clean them," Sage replied.

"Clean what?" Bucky asked, trying to insert himself into the conversation. He knew nothing about rock climbing. If he was being honest, he wasn't super keen on heights, period.

"You have to power wash the wall and all the holds between sets," Clint answered. It was a tedious part of the job.

"They get really gross with chalk and sweat. Sometimes blood," Sage elaborated. She wasn't about to mention how many times she's lost pieces of skin on holds to Bucky, either.

"I didn't even realize that the wall got changed," Bucky shrugged.

"You should come climb sometime," Sage suggested, smiling warmly at him. While he liked the idea of hanging out with her, he hoped it would be under a different setting.

"I'd pay to see this meat head get a foot off the ground," Clint challenged. It wasn't hard to see that Bucky was pretty muscular. He and Steve spent a fair amount of time in the weights area of the gym.

"Climbing isn't for everyone. I once had a kid puke from halfway up a wall," Sage tried to steer the conversation away form the guys making a bet, or something else stupidly macho.

"Were you in the splash zone?" Clint asked, dreading the answer as he imagined the scenario.

"I plead the fifth," Sage answered, then finished the last of her drink.

Despite Sage's promise to get the next round, Steve and Sharon volunteered. Natasha returned to the table when everyone was finishing that round, looking bored.

"There are way too many kids here. Let's go to Pascal's," Natasha suggested, standing at the end of the table. The bar had gotten even more crowded, and everyone agreed that it was a good idea.

"I have to close out. I'll meet you guys there," Bucky announced as everyone stood from the table.

"I have to pee. I'll go with you," Sage added. She didn't know where Pascal's was, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to wait until she got there to go to the bathroom. She didn't want to hold the whole group up just for her to pee, so she took her opportunity to hang back with Bucky.

"See you guys there," Sharon said with a hopeful smile. She liked the idea of Sage and Bucky walking together.

Clint, Natasha, Sharon, and Steve left the patio and headed down the street. Taking a look at the line for the bathroom, and the crowd surrounding the bar, Sage figured that she'd be done first and told Bucky she'd come find him.

Unfamiliar with Bucky's special skill of conquering bar crowds, she emerged from the bathroom to find him waiting for her a few feet away from the door. They smiled wordlessly at each other, the noise level inside making it impossible to hear, and she followed him outside.

"It's probably a fifteen minute walk, give or take," Bucky said as they headed down the street.

"I've been here a week, and I already love this town a lot more than my old school," Sage said. The two places were night and day.

"Where'd you transfer from?" Bucky asked. He didn't know much about Sage's history, besides that she was friends with Sharon and just transferred. He didn't even know where she was from. Though, judging by the occasional drawl accenting some of her words, and the few times he heard her use the word "y'all", he'd have to guess she had Southern roots.

"TMU. My dad wanted me to go, but I finally realized that I hated it. Plus I think the advisors gave up on me when I changed my major for the twelfth time," Sage answered. Bucky recognized the acronym, but it took him a minute to remember what it stood for; Texas Methodist University. It had a reputation for breeding good southern gentleman and proper ladies, all who would probably go on to join their family's business or marry advantageously. They also had a pretty decent football program, though they were in a different division. Bucky guessed that Sage probably came from money if her dad wanted her to go to that school, and could pretty much confirm that she was Southern.

"Only twelve times? I've lost count," Bucky joked, commenting on both of their lack of direction.

"At this point, I'm just going to finish and get a diploma, I don't care which one," Sage laughed. "But I'm at least really into my major, even if it's probably completely useless in the real world."

"Which is?" he prompted her to continue. There was no way she was going for a business degree, like he once did. He knew Sharon had her sights set on law school, but sincerely doubted that Sage shared the same ambitions.

"Don't laugh," she turned to him and pointed a warning finger in his face.

"I wouldn't dare," he held up his hands in mock defense.

"Art history," she finally answered. Surprise swept over Bucky's face.

" I don't think I would have guessed that," he said.

"What about you? General studies?" Sage teased.

"Right now? Geography. I got a PTC a while back, and I keep up with it, just in case," Bucky answered. Having worked in gyms, Sage realized he was talking about a personal training certification. "I'm what you call a 'super senior,'" Bucky joked.

"I think that's what I am, too. I have enough credit hours to technically be a senior, but some of them didn't transfer. I don't even really know when I'll graduate," Sage replied, causing Bucky to laugh. Steve was so academically inclined, currently working on his masters. And all of his other friends were pretty set on their courses, too. It was nice to find a kindred spirit. Being surrounded by people who all knew where they were going, and what they wanted to achieve, could get a little intimidating and made him sometimes feel like somewhere along the lines he screwed up.

"How long have you known Steve? Sharon told me y'all are really close," Sage asked, moving the conversation away from academics. It was only the first week of school, and she didn't want to think about it anymore.

"I've known Steve for as long as I can remember," Bucky answered.

"Aw, that's sweet! And y'all planned to go to college together?" Sage smiled warmly at the idea of Bucky and Steve growing up together. From the small amount that Sage knew about the duo, they seemed like the odd couple, though they somehow fit together so perfectly.

"It wasn't really a plan, it just kind of happened," Bucky said vaguely, not wanting to get into the whole story. Though, when he thought through the whole course of events, it felt more like an odyssey than just a regular story. He'd need a lot more alcohol to lay all of that out.

The sound of Bucky's phone ringing interrupted the conversation. He pulled his phone out of his back pocket and answered it. A soft _ping_ then came from Sage's phone. She pulled it out of her purse to find a text from Sharon.

 _I didn't plan this, but you're welcome anyway!_

Sage stared confusedly down at the message. She had no idea what Sharon was talking about. Her thumbs hovered over the keypad, trying to think of a response, but how do you respond to something so cryptic? She settled for a simple ' _what?'_

As Bucky listened to Steve explain the change in plans, he watched Sage, her face illuminated by her phone screen on the poorly lit sidewalk. She looked confused, and before he knew it, Bucky was smiling at the way her eyebrows crinkled together and her mouth hung open.

"So, Pascal's is at capacity," Bucky announced, ending his call with Steve and sliding his phone back into his pocket.

"Bummer," Sage frowned.

"We're meeting back at the house. I parked not too far from here, so I'll drive," Bucky pointed back towards the direction they had come from to emphasize the point.

"Who's house?" Sage questioned. Bucky's explanation was a bit vague.

"Mine and Steve's," he answered as he started to head back down the sidewalk. "Or I can take you home if you want," Bucky amended as he noticed the confused look on Sage's face. Maybe she didn't like the sound of that plan.

"Oh no, it's fine. I don't think I knew that you and Steve lived together," she explained herself, replacing her confused frown with a lighter smile as she fell back into step with Bucky.

Phone still in hand, Sage sent a quick ' _never mind_ ' to Sharon. Bucky returned her smile and they continued on in silence.


	4. The Man Who Sold The World

Lots of bonding in this one! And lots of set up for things to come! Let me know what y'all think/want more or less of/etc!

"The Man Who Sold The World" by David Bowie

* * *

The pair turned onto a road that allowed street parking and Bucky slowed to a stop next to a dark colored Jeep. He pulled his keyring out of his pocket, found the right key, and manually unlocked the door.

"This thing is ancient. I have to unlock your door from the inside," he explained, then opened his door and slid into the driver's seat and leaned over the center console. Sage jogged to the other side of the car as Bucky unlocked it and pushed it open as best he could. She caught the door and slid inside.

The car was old, there was no denying that. On her way around the car, she noticed that the Wrangler was missing its back left wheel cover, had a few dents in the bumper, and was littered with marks, dings, and scratches, including one long, deep scratch running the entire length of the car on the passenger's side. The car had obviously lived a life.

The inside was cleaner than Sage anticipated a boy's car to be. Her seat was clear of debris, and she only had to kick one empty water bottle out from under her feet. A spiral notebook with a pen stuck into the binding sat atop the dash, and some clothes littered the backseat, but that was it. It was better than Sage's own car, she had to admit.

Bucky started the car and expertly pulled out of the small spot.

"Oh my god," Sage started. "A cassette deck?" she laughed as she noticed the outdated radio. She pushed the eject button to see what he had crammed into the deck.

"Yeah, well, it gets me places," Bucky said shortly. Unidentified tape in hand, Sage shipped her head to look at Bucky, noting the sour look. She had unintentionally offended him.

"No, I love it! I drove my grandpa's old Volvo station wagon from the 80's. I only had two tapes and the antenna was broken," Sage desperately tried to salvage the conversation with an anecdote. She hadn't meant to offend Bucky, who was clearly a little sensitive about the car. Perhaps someone else had turned their nose up to it, Sage wondered.

"What tapes?" Bucky asked after a moment, realizing he had probably overreacted a little.

"A best of Bowie and Neil Diamond," Sage answered with a grin. Bucky burst into laughter. "It was three tapes, but I lost the Mamas and the Papas," Sage added, making Bucky laugh even harder.

"You're a lot cleaner than I expected," Sage said once he was done laughing.

"You think I'm messy?" Bucky questioned, switching his gaze from the road to her face for a quick moment.

"Most guys have gross cars. I don't make the rules," she defended her theory.

"And I'm sure your car is so clean," he retorted.

"It's spotless," Sage lied with a smirk. He turned from the road and gave a her a look, knowing she was probably lying.

"Hey, you hungry?" Bucky suddenly asked. "Because I'm starving."

"I could eat," she answered, thinking back to the noodles she never finished.

"You like tacos?"

"What kind of question is that?" Sage laughed. Of course she liked tacos. Who didn't, she wondered.

Bucky smiled at her response, and unexpectedly and very quickly pulled a U-turn, the force of which pressed Sage into the door. Her hand shot out and grabbed onto the center console to brace herself.

"Sorry," Buckuy apologized as Sage righted herself. He then took a quick right turn and pulled up into a parking lot. Underneath the only light in the lot was an unmarked black truck, strung up with multicolor Christmas lights and folding tables and chairs set out around it. There was a line of a few people, and a few groups sitting at the folding tables.

"This truck has the best tacos in town," Bucky explained as he parked the car. He hopped out, and Sage followed, remembering to lock the door from the inside before she closed it. Bucky waited for her at the front of the Jeep and lead her to the back of the line. From where they stood, she couldn't see a menu, but based off of the food everyone else had, and the smell coming form the taco truck, everything they offered was probably pretty good.

"Are you picky about anything?" Bucky asked as it became their turn to order. Sage shook her head, letting Bucky step up to the window to order.

"Two steak, two chicken, and two pork," he told the man taking orders. To her left at the pick-up window, the cook placed a cup of corn on the ledg, then sprinkled some cotija on top.

"And elotes!" Sage added, interrupting the man before he could give Bucky the total. The man nodded and added it to the order.

"Twelve even," he said. Sage reached for her wallet in her purse, but Bucky beat her. He handed exact change to the man, and lead Sage over to an empty table to wait.

"Thanks," Sage smiled awkwardly at Bucky. It was generous of him to pay for her and Sharon's drinks, and now tacos, but she felt guilty eating and drinking for free.

It only took a few minutes for Bucky's name to be called to pick up the waiting food. He came back with a paperplate loaded with little tinfoil packages, and a paper cup heaping with corn.

"What did you call this corn stuff?" Bucky asked Sage as she set the food on the table. He pulled napkins and a fork out of the breast pocket of his chambray shirt and set them on the table as well.

"Elotes? You've never had this?" Sage was incredulous. Being from Texas, tacos were a givem, and you just couldn't get tacos without elotes. Bucky shook his head as she began unwrapping all of the tacos, trying to figure out which ones were chicken, pork, or beef.

"We didn't exactly have the best Mexican food in Brooklyn," Bucky defended himself. "I didn't even really like tacos until Sam brought me and Steve here last year."

"I have much to teach you," Sage teased, then took a bit of the still very hot corn.

"I got a variety here. Take your pick," Bucky explained after having opened and identified all six tacos. Sage grabbed a beef taco.

"You're really gonna make me eat five tacos?" Bucky laughed. "I mean, I can do it, but I might have to go bed when I get home."

"You have to have some of this, too," Sage smiled as she pushed the cup of elotes towards Bucky for him to try. As he put a forkful of corn in his mouth, Sage took a bite of her taco. She definitely approved.

"OK, this is pretty good," Bucky said with his mouth full, causing Sage to smile through her mouthful, too.

"I'll be right back," Sage hopped up from her seat before Bucky could say anything, and quickly returned with a little plastic cup full of what Bucky thought was salsa. She then dumped a fair amount of it onto the rest of her taco and took another bite.

"What is that?" Bucky asked, starting on his second taco.

"Hot sauce. I like spicy foods," Sage explained. Bucky eyed the cup, then picked it up and sniffed it. He pulled a face.

"God, its making my eyes water," he blinked a couple of times for emphasis.

"Baby," Sage teased. Bucky took that as a challenge, and dumped some of the hot sauce on the rest of his chicken taco, though not as much as Sage had used. He took a large bite, and almost immediately looked pained.

Sage held back a giggle as Bucky desperately tried not to cough. He hadn't been prepared for just how hot the sauce was. He was finally able to swallow the bite, and it burned the whole way down this throat.

"Eat some corn, the cotija will help," Sage slid the cup back towards Bucky, who wordlessly took a large bite, desperate to ease the fire burning in his mouth. Sage took a pork taco next, also putting hot sauce on it.

"You're crazy," Bucky finally wheezed. Sage grinned.

They finished eating soon after, and headed back to Bucky's car. Sage waited for him to lean across the front seat and unlock her door from the inside, and they continued on down the road. Bucky pulled into a residential neighborhood, full of small, older houses. Based on all of the cars, bizarre lawn decorations, and beer cans in some yards, Sage guessed the street was mostly rental houses for students.

Towards the end of the street, Bucky pulled into the driveway of a small blue house next to a motorcycle. The lawn had a few bald spots, and two scraggly boxwoods flanked the front door.

Once out of the car, Sage could hear music and voices coming from behind the house. Bucky led her to the front door, and through a dark living room. She couldn't make much out of it in the dark. Then they reached the kitchen. It was definitely original to the older house. The cabinets were all painted a soft powder pink, with black metal pulls. The floor was a classic black and white checker pattern, and the countertops were sealed wood.

"This is the cutest kitchen I've ever seen," Sage looked around, while Bucky pulled a bottle of tequila out of the fridge. Seeing Bucky in the kitchen made Sage want to giggle, but she kept it to herself as best she could. Older kitchens always seemed like they were built for much smaller people, and Bucky seemed like a giant compared to it. Imagining both him and Steve cooking dinner in the kitchen could have been a Monty Python sketch. And, if the kitchen was original, then she'd bet money that the bathrooms probably were too.

"I get a back ache every time I have to do dishes in that sink," Bucky replied. Sage noticed there wasn't a dishwasher. "I'm making tequila slammers. There's beer in the fridge, and it looks like the vodka and whisky are already outside."

Sage went to the fridge and pulled out a half empty liter of ginger ale. "Do you make them with this?" she asked.

"Yep, thanks," Bucky took the bottle from her, and started pouring the drinks. Sage opened the freezer and pulled out an ice trey. She popped a few cubes out and dropped them into the waiting drinks. Bucky handed her one, and they clinked their glasses together before taking their first sips.

"You use too much ginger ale," Sage teased.

"I'm starting to question my masculinity here," Bucky laughed.

"You're a yankee, you're not supposed to be able to tolerate hot sauce," Sage mock consoled Bucky, putting a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Do you just eat raw jalapeños as a snack?" he joked. He then moved across the kitchen and opened the glass door next to the fridge, leading Sage outside to the backyard.

"Child's play," she laughed as they stepped onto a large screened-off porch. On the opposite side of the porch sat Steve, Sam, and another guy that Sage didn't know at a metal table and plastic outdoor chairs, all playing a card game. Along the brick wall was an old sofa, and right next to the door were a washer and dryer.

"I was starting to think you guys got lost!" Steve yelled from his seat. Bucky walked over to the table and Sage followed.

"We stopped for some food," he explained as she sat down. Sage paused at the screen door, propped open by a cinderblock. In the small yard were Sharon, Natasha, and Clint playing cornhole.

"I thought maybe Bucky kidnapped you," Sharon laughed, abandoning the game to join Sage on the wooden steps.

"Like he could," Sage joked, then took a large sip of her drink. By the redness in Sharon's cheeks, and the way Natasha was throwing her bean bags, it was clear that Sage needed to catch up.

"Hey new girl!" the guy that Sage didn't know yelled from his seat at the table. His face was also very red from drinking.

"Hi!" Sage yelled back, matching his joking tone.

"My name's Scott! Steve told me your name is Sage," he continued to yell.

"Dude, she's like, ten feet away," Sam admonished. He was very clearly not on the same level as Scott. Sage laughed, then walked over to the table.

"Nice to meet you Scott," she said, holding out her hand. He shook it enthusiastically.

"You know how to play this?" Scott asked, holding up his cards to show Sage.

"I don't know what you're playing," she giggled.

"I don't think he knows either," Clint yelled from the yard right before tossing his beanbag directly into the hole on Natasha's board.

"Damnit! I'm done with this," Natasha swore, throwing her remaining beanbags on to the board and stalking off to join Sharon in the doorway.

"I told you it's no fun playing against Clint," Steve told her, smirking. Everyone in the group, besides Sage, knew how good Clint's aim was. Everyone refused to play cornhole, darts, or any other game based on aim. Natasha rolled her eyes and plopped down onto the sofa.

"What I want to know is, what are we doing for Labor Day?" Sam addressed the group.

"Please god, not another cook out here," Natasha pleaded.

"What's wrong with that?" Steve asked. It was tradition at this point.

Sharon pushed off of the door frame and stepped into the middle of the porch.

"My Aunt Peggy said we can use her lake house," she announced proudly.

"You're kidding," Sage perked up at the mention of the lake house. She had been a couple of times before, each time having been a blast.

"Now that sounds like a plan," Sam approved.

"Is she really OK with all of us?" Steve asked, unsure about the very generous offer. He was suddenly overcome with images of his friends trashing the place.

"I mean, we can't leave the place a mess, but yeah. She's cool," Sharon assured.

"How far away is it?" Natasha asked, dreading a possibly long drive in a car full of her idiot friends.

"Only about four hours. I've done it in three," Sharon answered.

"Your aunt doesn't want it for the holiday?" Sage asked. From what she understood, it was usually the family gathering spot for long weekends and holidays.

"No, she and my uncle are going to be in Europe, so everyone else made their own plans," Sharon answered.

"Are we all in?" Bucky asked.

"I have to work Saturday, but I'll just drive up after," Clint answered. "Sage, I'll give you the whole weekend off if you pick up a couple of extra shifts this week."

"Done," Sage agreed.

"And help me wash holds on Sunday," he tried to add, realizing he should have lobbied for a bigger favor.

"No way, too late," Sage laughed. "If I'm going to be working all week, and gone all next weekend, then I'm gonna have to get a head start on my reading."

"The semester barely started!" Scott chimed in.

"Sage is an over achiever, taking eighteen hours," Sharon explained to him.

"Oh my god, why?" Bucky asked, shocked that anyone could even be allowed to take that many hours, let alone _want_ to.

"Because by the time I graduate, it will have taken me seven years to get one degree," Sage laughed, trying not to let any self-consciousness show.

"You're not the only one," Bucky chuckled, holding out his fist. Sage bumped it with her own, returning his smirk.

"Wait," Sage started, trying to connect some dots and failing. "you're working on your bachelors?" she asked.

"Yep," Bucky answered, taking a long drink and finishing off his slammer.

"How are you a TA if you're not a grad student?" she asked.

"Part of my deal with Phillips. I do it for free," he answered.

"Yeah, by himself," Steve added, not looking too happy at the mention of the deal.

"I can't imagine having to grade over a hundred papers by yourself," Sam said, scared by the mere thought of all the work.

"And Phillips assigns so many. You're going to be swamped, Bucky," Sharon added. She knew about Bucky's deal with the professor, but didn't realize he would be doing it alone. Most classes that size had at least two TAs.

"I can handle it," Bucky said firmly, then stood up to go inside to make another drink.

"Can he, though?" Natasha asked the group once Bucky was gone. Sage sensed there was a greater reason affecting the group's uneasiness than just friendly concern.

"I took the class, so I can help him if he needs it, but he's pretty determined," Steve answered Natasha.

"Not that he'd take the help anyway," Sam added grimly.

"Phillips assigned a paper, but it's not due until after Labor Day. The syllabus doesn't seem that bad," Sage said hopefully, trying to alleviate everyone's doubt.

"Phillips is notorious for surprise essays," Sharon told her.

"Where the hell were you guys when I registered for classes?" Sage swore, now dreading how much work Phillips' class would actually entail. She wasn't entirely willing to put a lot of effort into a class that she didn't really care about. She didn't want to waste any energy on a class that wasn't for her own major.

"Besides the work, Phillips is a really good teacher," Steve told her, trying to balance out the pros and cons for Sage.

"Let's play kings," Natasha changed the subject, standing from the sofa and taking Bucky's vacant seat at the table.

"You wanna play?" Sharon asked Sage. She shook her head.

"Too many rules," Sage answered her roommate. The two girls went to sit on the sofa and started talking about Labor Day plans, as the boys and Natasha started their game. After a few minutes, Sage realized that Bucky was taking a very long time to make a new drink and hadn't come back yet. She didn't say anything, though. Surely his best friends also noticed, and weren't saying anything for a reason. She tried to let it go and focus on her conversation with Sharon, that was sometimes interrupted by someone from the table yelling.

"I have to pee," Sage told Sharon, nearly an hour later.

"It's at the end of the hall," Steve shouted to Sage. He was red in the face, and slurred a little, but was apparently still coherent enough to hear Sage and Sharon talking across the room. Sage smiled her thanks, and went inside.

Besides the kitchen, the rest of the house was quiet and dark. Having quit drinking a while ago, Sage was able to navigate the strange house rather easily and quietly. She found the short hallway Steve referred to off of the living room.

With the bathroom at the very end, a bedroom stood on either side of it. On the left was an open door, leading into a dark bedroom. On the right was a closed door with soft light and quiet music streaming out from underneath the door.

Sage thought about knocking, but she figured there was a reason Bucky left the group and hadn't returned. She didn't know him very well and didn't want to overstep anything. So she went into the bathroom to do her business. To her delight, everything was the exact same shade of pink as the kitchen, including the bathtub, toilet, and tile on the wall. The tile flooring was white.

For a bathroom shared by two guys, it wasn't nearly as gross as Sage anticipated. All of the towels were mismatched, some with bleach stains. The shower curtain was a simple clear plastic liner. The counter was lined with different shaving creams, toothpastes, hair product, deodorants, and colognes. The temptation to peak inside the drawers was high.

As Sage washed her hands, she fought with herself. Other people's bathroom drawers were always interesting. As she dried her hands on a navy blue hand towel with a large bleached white spot in the center, Sage gave in to temptation and opened the top drawer slowly. It had a little divided tray, holding combs, a toothbrush, floss, and extra razors. Sage guessed it was Steve's drawer.

The second drawer was a mess with everything just thrown in to it. Not wanting to disturb the mess or actually touch anything, Sage could see a small brush, hair ties, more razor blade cartridges, and some empty pill bottles missing their lids. Despite her intense curiosity, Sage closed the door without reading the labels. She wasn't above peeking into drawers, but she knew better than to snoop on other people's medications. She left the bottom drawer alone.

Sage switched off the light and stepped out into the dark hallway. She thought again about maybe knocking on Bucky's closed door. Whatever song he was listening to ended, and after a second of silence, a familiar guitar riff caught Sage's attention. Sage smiled to herself as David Bowie's "Suffragette City" began to play.

Suddenly the house was filled with voices and the light in the living room turned on. Sage moved from her spot in the dark hallway and joined the gathered crowd in the living room.

"We're calling it a night. Clint's going to give us a ride home," Sharon explained to Sage, handing her her purse. Everyone said their goodbyes and trailed out into the front yard.

Sam ushered a very drunk Scott to his car, and Sharon, Natasha, and Sage followed Clint to his. Natasha automatically took the front seat, and in the back seat Sharon leaned her head on Sage's shoulder.

"Sometimes I forget how moody Bucky can be," Clint said quietly to Natasha, though Sage could still easily hear. Sharon seemed to be drifting off to sleep.

"He's gotten a lot better," Natasha replied. The rest of the car ride was pretty much silent. Sage woke Sharon up when Clint pulled up to the curb outside of their building. They said their goodbyes and headed upstairs, Sharon dragging her feet behind Sage.

"I'm going to sleep in so late tomorrow," Sharon announced, dropping her shoes and purse in the kitchen, Sage laughed lightly. "Good night."

"Sleep tight," Sage answered, then went into her room, giving Sharon the bathroom first.


	5. In The Summertime

A good deal of this chapter takes place in a liquor store. We get a bit more about Sage's history, and some quality bonding time. Don't be afraid to leave some feedback!

"Most In The Summertime" by Rhett Miller and Black Prairie

* * *

The next day, Sharon went out with some of her old sorority sisters. She had only been a sister for three semesters, before dropping out to make room in her schedule for other activities, and to get away from a few particularly annoying girls.

Sage spent the morning shopping for a dresser so that she could finally put away all of her clothes. She picked out a large eight-drawer dresser in a nice blue color. Unfortunately, it came in a flat box, with a vague set of instructions. Sage spent the better part of the afternoon wrestling with all the pieces, trying to get them to all fit together. By 4, all she had to show for her time were three assembled drawers, and she wasn't even sure if she did them correctly. Giving up for the day, Sage pushed all of the pieces into a corner and hoped that Sharon would help her when she got home.

Not sure what else to do with her day, Sage got comfortable in her plaid chair in the living room with a stack of her reading for the week on the coffee table. Armed with a very fine tip pen and two highlighters, one green and one pink, Sage started reading about modernism.

Sometime around 8, Sharon texted Sage that she would either be home very late, or not at all that night, and to not wait up. Sage took a sandwich break and went back to her reading, this time about Dadaism. Her reading for Phillips' class was at the bottom of the pile, and she had every intention of getting to it. However, Phillips was the low man on Sage's totem pole when it came to class importance. So, she went to bed late that night with everything but his reading completed.

Sunday morning was spent watching TV in the living room while Sharon nursed her hangover in her dark bedroom. Sage spent the afternoon helping Clint at the rec center. They were resetting courses on the walls, and even if she was only going to wash holds, she wanted to be involved somehow. Her personal goal was to someday be a setter, and putting in the work now and showing Clint that she was a good, trustworthy worker seemed like a good start.

On Tuesday morning, Sage made it through Phillip's class without any unwanted attention, and didn't run into Bucky on her way out. She spent her time before her next class in the library, working on a paper for her Theories of Contemporary Art Class that was due after the lake house trip. She even got a little reading done for Phillips. Though, with the amount of reading he assigned, she barely made a dent.

The rest of the week went by much the same. Sage was already busy with classwork, and she spent every evening at the rec center, fulfilling her deal with Clint. On Thursday, Bucky smiled and waved to her from across the lecture hall, but Sage had to dash out of class the second it was over for an appointment with her advisor.

"How many swim suits is too many?" Sharon asked, bursting into Sage's room unannounced, carrying a handful of bikini bottoms.

"How many do you want to bring?" Sage asked, looking up from her computer screen and turning in her desk chair to face Sharon.

"I'm thinking four," Sharon answered, dropping her pile on Sage's bed and spreading them out.

"I only have two and a half," Sage said.

"Half?" Sharon laughed as she tried to decide which bottoms to take and which to leave behind.

"I lost the top to one last spring break," Sage explained. Sharon giggled.

"Do I want to know how?" Sharon asked accusatorially.

"I whipped it off while I was dancing on a bar top and it got lost when I sling-shotted it into the crowd," Sage joked as she laughed with Sharon.

"Do that this weekend, and you'll be so popular with the guys," Sharon said, sitting down at the foot of the bed.

"I'm sure," Sage rolled her eyes.

"Clint is bringing his girlfriend, so she might not like it," Sharon mused.

"And Steve would probably pass out," Sage teased.

"If he's going to see anyone's boobs, it better be mine," Sharon jokingly threatened, causing Sage to laugh loudly. "Besides, if you're going to flash anyone, it should be Bucky." Sharon smiled pointedly. In her perfect world, she and Steve would go on double dates with Sage and Bucky. Sage rolled her eyes again.

"I haven't talked to him since last Friday," Sage told her roommate, leaning back in her chair.

"Not even in class?" Sharon was surprised. The week before it seemed like the two ran into each other at least once a day. "Or at the rec?"

"Nope," Sage popped the P and shook her head. "I mean, he waved to me from across the room today, but that doesn't count," Sage amended.

"Well, I hope tomorrow won't be awkward because he and Steve are gonna ride up with us," Sharon announced.

"I'm cool with that," Sage shrugged.

"You're last class is over at five, right?" Sharon asked, getting serious as she wanted to finalize the plans for the weekend.

"Yes ma'am," Sage mocked.

"And you're still OK with driving?" Sharon continued.

"Yep," Sage nodded.

"I told Steve we'd pick them up at their house, and we'll go to the grocery when we get into town," Sharon explained.

"Sounds like a plan," Sage affirmed.

"Clint, Natasha, and Laura are coming Saturday afternoon. Sam and Scott are coming Sunday."

"I really only need swimsuits and tee shirts, right?" Sage asked. She hadn't packed yet, but for a trip like this, it would take five minutes tops.

"Yeah, maybe a hat and some good shoes in case we go hiking. Nothing fancy," Sharon answered. "I'll let you finish. Don't bring any of that to the lake," Sharon gestured to the desk where Sage was working, then stood and gathered her bikini bottoms.

"I'll try," Sage laughed.

Sage's last class on Friday let out a little early in honor of the holiday weekend, and she walked home as fast as she could so she could get ready and pack.

In the small entry of the apartment, Sharon had gathered a cooler and a couple of bags. Sage stepped around the gear to get to her room.

"I just texted Steve. I told him we'd be there in thirty," Sharon announced, standing in the doorway to Sage's bedroom. Sage emptied out her backpack onto her bed and took it to the neat piles of clothes under her window. She still hadn't gotten her dresser together.

"OK, give me like five minutes," Sage answered as she started stuffing shirts and underwear into the bag.

"Do you want a bigger bag? You can borrow one," Sharon asked. She had a small duffel and a tote bag with her things in them.

"I'm good," Sage said as she rolled up a couple of pairs of shorts and shoved them into the bag. Then went her swimsuits and a couple of pairs of socks. She tossed the backpack onto her bed as Sharon left the room. Sage tugged off her jeans and pulled on a comfortable pair of yoga pants to wear in the car. If she was going to be driving for four hours, she wanted to be as comfortable as possible. She was already in a tee shirt. She then kicked off the pair of leather sandals she wore, and traded them for a well worn pair of blue sneakers. She went into her small closet and pulled out a pair of sturdy sandals and a pair of flip flops and put them in a different compartment of her backpack.

Sage grabbed a small zippered bag and went into the bathroom to gather her toothbrush and basic makeup. She didn't plan on getting gussied up over the weekend, but she wanted to be prepared in case they went out somewhere.

The toiletries bag went on top of the pile in the backpack. Sage zipped it closed, grabbed her phone charger from the outlet next to her bed, and her favorite pillow, then swung her backpack onto one shoulder. She turned off her bedroom light and closed the door, meeting Sharon in the kitchen.

"You get ready so fast. I'm kind of jealous," Sharon remarked.

"You have too much shit," Sage laughed. Sharon smiled back, then grabbed her bags off the floor. Sage grabbed her keys and the handle of the empty rolling cooler and exited the apartment. She waited for Sharon to lock the door, and they headed to her car in the small parking lot behind the building.

Despite having been there before, Sharon had to give Sage directions to Steve and Bucky's house. Once there, Sage pulled into the driveway behind Bucky's Jeep and honked once. She unlocked the doors and Sharon got out just as Steve and Bucky came out of the front door, bags in hand. Sage rolled down her window as Sharon walked around the back of the car to open the trunk door of Sage's silver 4Runner.

"Hey Sage," Steve greeted as he walked by her open window. She smiled in return.

"Can we trust you to drive? There's about to be some precious cargo onboard," Bucky joked, stepping up to Sage's window, placing a hand above it and ducking his head down.

"I'm an excellent driver," Sage defended herself. "I've only killed a couple of passengers." She grinned up at him.

"That's it, trip's canceled," He joked back, pushing off from the car to put his backpack in the back with everyone else's. Sage hadn't originally thought that things would be awkward with Bucky until Sharon had asked. But now that they were interacting, everything seemed fine and all of Sage's apprehension faded away.

"Shotgun!" Sage heard Bucky shout from the back of the car.

"You only get to ride shotgun if you navigate," Sharon challenged him. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Backseat sounds good, actually," he answered. Sage saw him in her side mirrors as she rounded the back of the car and climbed into the back seat behind her. Steve closed the trunk and opened the passenger front door for Sharon, then got into the seat behind her. Sage smirked at the gesture. In the seat behind her, Bucky did too.

Sharon directed Sage to the highway where it was a straight shot for the next three hours. As Sharon was telling the guys about the lake house, Sage blindly plugged the auxiliary cord into her phone, fumbling with one hand while keeping her eyes on the road.

"They have a boat, but they keep it in the marina. They wouldn't let us use it anyway, not without them there," Sharon explained. "But there's a canoe, a paddle boat, and a couple of kayaks."

"Steve mentioned a hot tub," Bucky said dubiously.

"Yeah there's a hot tub," Sharon answered.

"Y'all care what kind of music I play?" Sage asked, interrupting the conversation. Steve and Bucky both said no.

"But if it's bad, I'm going to mock you," Bucky added. Sage ignored him and clicked on her go-to playlist. The sound of a twangy guitar intro to a country song immediately filled the car.

"I take it back," Bucky said loudly over the music. Sharon turned the volume down.

"I didn't take you for a country music kind of person," Steve laughed. He didn't particularly care for country music, but it wasn't his place to argue against it. He didn't even really mind.

"The very first time I met Sage, she was taping a poster of George Strait up in her bunk," Sharon laughed at the memory.

"Who?" Bucky asked, confused by the story.

"Bunk?" Steve asked. He didn't actually know how Sage and Sharon met. He knew Sharon was from Virginia, and Sage was definitely not.

"Summer camp. We were thirteen. I walked into the cabin and there was this girl in cut off shorts, taping up a picture of some old guy with a cowboy hat," Sharon elaborated, her and Sage laughing at the memory.

"And the rest was history," Sage added. Her and Sharon continued going to summer camp together until they turned eighteen and went off to college.

"I'm assuming George Strait is a country singer?" Bucky asked. Nobody had answered him.

"Yes. He's like, the king of Texas," Sage answered.

"You're from Texas, right, Sage?" Steve asked. All signs were pointed to yes, but he wanted to confirm.

"Born and raised," Sage answered proudly, exaggerating her slight drawl.

"You don't really have much of an accent," Steve observed, comparing her exaggeration to how she normally speaks.

"You say 'y'all' a lot," Bucky pointed out. Sage couldn't argue with that.

"You should hear her when she's drunk," Sharon laughed. "And she has the weirdest southern sayings."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Bucky asked, smirking. He definitely wanted to hear her speak with a thicker accent, and the odd southern sayings interested him.

"Just wait, I'm sure you'll hear a few this weekend," Sage smirked.

Just as it was starting to get dark, Sharon announced that they were close and the closest grocery store was coming up in the next town. She gave directions to Sage, who couldn't wait to get out and stretch her legs a bit.

They pulled into the parking lot of a big box store just as the streetlights came on, though it was still fairly light out. Next to the store in the shopping strip was a liquor store.

"You guys get the food, I'll get the booze," Bucky instructed as the group got out of the car.

"Go with him so he doesn't just get Jaeger and wine coolers," Sharon told Sage.

"Come on, give me more credit than that," Bucky laughed. Sage winked at Sharon as she followed after Steve to the grocery. Sage would be surprised if she and Steve didn't at least kiss on the trip, if not more.

"We should just get a ton of Everclear," Sage joked as she and Bucky walked next door to the liquor store.

"I think that's worse the Jaeger," he chuckled. Once inside, Bucky grabbed a cart and followed Sage. Following the signs, she led him to the beer aisle. He pulled a couple of cases out of the refrigerated section.

"Think this is enough beer?" he asked earnestly.

"Worst case scenario, we tell Sam to bring some more when he comes up," Sage shrugged.

"Right on," Bucky agreed. He grabbed the cart and followed sage to the liquor.

"What does everyone like?" Sage asked.

"Steve'll want whiskey, Natasha will want vodka. Tequila, rum, gin," Bucky listed.

"OK, you're just listing different kinds of alcohol," Sage chuckled. She walked up to a display of vodka. "What kind does Natasha like?"

"She'll want grey goose, but she's not here to pay for it," Bucky said, then grabbed a handle of a vodka with a Russian name that Sage couldn't pronounce.

Bucky led her over to the whiskey, and he grabbed two handles of Jack.

"Woah," Sage remarked as Bucky placed the large bottles into the cart.

"It would be a shame to run out," he said. Sage rolled her eyes teasingly and wandered over to the tequila. She put two bottles of margarita mix into the cart, then a handle of silver tequila and a handle of gold.

"Do you see triple sec anywhere?" Sage asked. Bucky looked around and spotted the alcohol in question. He plucked a bottle from the shelf and placed it in the cart.

By the time they made it to the checkout, they added a fifth of cinnamon whiskey, a handle of light rum, and piña colada mix. They both removed everything from the cart, save the cases of beer, and put it all on the counter at the checkout. Bucky pulled out his wallet, and from it a large wad of cash.

"We took a collection from the group," he explained to Sage. He paid the cashier, and they loaded the bottles back into the cart.

Once at the car, Sage opened the trunk. Bucky rearranged everyone's bags and pillows to make room for the alcohol and coming groceries. Sage helped him load the car and he returned the cart to the store. While he was gone, Sage got back into the car and started it. Bucky came back and got into the front seat next to Sage, while they waited for Sharon and Steve to come back.

"I say the second we get there, we make some piña coladas and fire up the hot tub," Sage suggested, adjusting the air conditioning vent so that it didn't blow directly in her face.

"You like piña coladas, huh?" Bucky asked, smirking. "And getting caught in the rain?" Sage let out a bark of laughter, caught off guard by the joke.

"So what is Texas like?" Bucky asked after a minute of listening to the radio.

"Which part?" Sage asked smartly. Being from the state, she knew how large it was, and how diverse its many areas could be. She of course didn't expect Bucky to know that much.

"Whichever part you're from," he answered.

"I'm from Fort Worth," Sage said. "It's a pretty good sized city, but still pretty country," she explained vaguely. Fort Worth was a hard city to describe to someone who had never been to Texas.

"Can you ride a horse?" Bucky jokingly asked. He knew it was a stereotype and was only really teasing.

"Actually, yeah. It's been a while, though," Sage answered, surprising Bucky.

"Shoot a gun?" he continued.

"Yep. My dad would take me target shooting when I was a kid. He could never convince me to actually go hunting," Sage smiled proudly. Bucky nodded approvingly.

"What's Brooklyn like?" Sage asked, shifting the focus off of her.

"Noisy," Bucky answered simply. Sage had been to New York City once, but never Brooklyn. Based on how busy the city had been, she assumed Brooklyn was much the same.

"Do you know how to ride a horse and shoot a gun?" She teased, throwing his cowboy questions back at him.

"No to the horse, yes to the gun," he answered.

"Where does a city kid learn to shoot a gun?" Sage laughed. She grew up on land, and in a part of the country where there was a shooting range or gun store every few blocks.

"The Army," he said succinctly, accented by a small smirk. Bucky was saved from having to go into further detail by Steve and Sharon coming out of the store. He got out of the car to help the pair unload the bags into the trunk, leaving Sage a bit stunned. She hadn't known he was military. She sat for a second in quiet surprise as Steve opened the trunk and she could hear the three friends talking as they loaded bags.

"I hope you got limes!" Sage shook her surprise away and turned around in her seat to call to Steve and Sharon through the length of the car. Sharon lifted her head and met Sage's eyes.

"Of course we did! A whole dozen!" Sharon answered.

"We got more than enough for only three days," Steve added.

"You'll be surprised by how fast we go through all of this," Sharon said. Once all the bags were inside, Steve closed the door, and Bucky ran the cart to the return bay. Everyone got into their original seats and were back on the road in minutes.

It was another forty-five minutes until they reached the lake house. The sky was now dark, and being in the middle of nowhere, it was pitch black outside. The only light came from Sage's headlights, and the occasional pinprick of light from a house across the way. Sage would have continued driving for miles if Sharon didn't point out the nearly hidden gravel driveway.


	6. Drinking Class

Wasn't it every college kid's dream to run off to someone's family vacation home to get drunk? I definitely wouldn't mind any feedback y'all might have.

"Drinking Class" by Lee Brice

* * *

The house was completely dark, and Sage kept the car running with the headlights on as Sharon hopped out of the car. Steve followed her and helped her locate a small ceramic turtle with a key taped to its belly, hidden in one of the potted plants flanking the front door. Bucky got out and started gathering bags of groceries from the back. Steve found the turtle in a pot of geraniums, and Sharon unlocked the house. A second later, the entryway and front porch were flooded in light. Sage turned off the car and got out to help bringing in everything. Bucky and Steve loaded their arms with the heaviest bags, and Sharon grabbed the rest of the perishables to immediately put in the fridge.

Sage grabbed what was left of the groceries. She followed the group into the kitchen and set all of her bags down on the large kitchen island. She took a moment to look around. The house was exactly how she remembered it from the last time she had been there several years ago.

The ground level of the house was open concept, with a large living area, dining area, and kitchen all open to each other. By the front door was a large wooden staircase leading to the upper levels. The living area was lined with picture windows overlooking the lake. Next to the refrigerator, where Steve was unloading bags of food, was a glass door that lead out to a screened porch, then a deck that wrapped around the house to the picture windows. Sage knew the view was amazing in the daylight.

Sage turned and left the kitchen to get the rest of the things from the car. Bucky followed her outside to help. Sage grabbed her and Sharon's things, and Bucky grabbed his and Steve's bags. He closed the trunk and Sage locked the door as they headed inside.

The lake house had a lot of sleeping arrangement options. She knew that she and Sharon would be sharing the usual room upstairs, but didn't know if Sharon had a preference for everyone else.

"Where do you want us, Share?" Sage called across the room to her friend as she stood on the first step of the staircase.

"Put the guys in the blue room," Sharon answered as she unboxed a frozen pizza.

Sage led Bucky up the stairs. On the second level, a large open area with couches and a TV cabinet connected four bedrooms, each with different themes. Sage and Sharon always stayed in the green room, decorated with frogs. Steve and Bucky's room was painted blue and decorated with sailboats.

Bucky disappeared into the blue bedroom to drop off the bags, and Sage did the same. Everyone met back up downstairs, where Steve was putting the frozen pizza into the oven and Sharon was opening cabinets, looking for something.

"If I can find the stupid blender, will you make margaritas, Sage?" Sharon asked as she peeked inside another cabinet.

"It would be my genuine pleasure," Sage smiled as she stepped around the island to gather ingredients. Steve and Bucky each pulled out bar stools on the other side of the island and sat down to watch the girls.

"I want a little umbrella in mine," Bucky joked.

"You'll get what I give you, and you'll like it," Sage said in a jokingly forceful tone. Her smile betrayed her and Bucky laughed. Steve looked between the two and smiled. He definitely sensed some chemistry between his best friend and Sharon's roommate.

Sharon finally found the blender in a cabinet under the island. She placed it in front of Sage, then got to work on finding a bag of chips and a bowl or salsa that she and Steve bought. Sage started to fill the blender with ice, then dumped in margarita mix and Triple Sec. To everyone else, it seemed like she was just blindly dumping indiscriminate amounts into the pitcher, but Sage had margarita mixing down to a science. She could make them blindfolded.

"Woah," Bucky said as he watched Sage pour in the tequila. It was a large amount. Sage smirked and winked at him over the top of the blender. Steve's eyes widened at the large amount, but kept his mouth shut. He wasn't much of a tequila drinker, and figured that he could politely drink a small glass, then discreetly switch to something else.

Sage fired up the blender, and Sharon popped open the jar of salsa, dumped it all out into a bowl, and slid it to the center of the island with the bag of chips. She then pulled a lime out of the fridge and sliced it up. Sage turned off the blender, dipped a spoon in into the concoction, and took a taste.

"Damn, I'm good," she said proudly, then unscrewed the pitcher from the blender base and poured out four glasses. Everyone took one and clinked their glasses together. Bucky and Steve took cautious first sips, while Sage and Sharon went right for it, taking a large gulp each.

"This is gonna cause some trouble," Bucky said dubiously, then took another more confident drink.

"Does tequila make your clothes fall off?" Sage joked, causing both Steve and Bucky to choke. Sharon laughed loudly while Sage smirked.

"Relax, it's a country song," Sage chuckled. Though, if she had to admit it, she wouldn't mind if his clothes did come off. It was pretty easy to see that underneath his pretty conservative clothing, he was jacked. Every time Sage saw him, he was all covered up.

"I think you're just trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me," Bucky joked. As good as the margaritas were, they were strong.

"That's exactly what I'm doing," Sage joked back.

"I'm going to check out the hot tub and see if I can't get it started," Sharon announced, pushing off from island and heading towards the door to the screened in porch.

"Oh god, this could end badly," Sage laughed. Sharon rolled her eyes and flipped Sage off, then went out to the dark porch. A second later the porch light switched on.

"Maybe I should help," Steve said as she stood from the barstool.

"Probably not a bad idea," Sage agreed. Steve left the kitchen, and a second later porch lights flooded through the picture window, revealing a large porch. Bucky and Sage watched Steve and Sharon navigate the porch, weaving through tables and chairs, to the far end where a large, covered hot tub sat.

"How much do you want to bet that they finally hook up this weekend?" Bucky suddenly asked, looking to Sage. She laughed loudly, glad that she wasn't the only one that had to suffer through the will they/wont they.

"She's been in love with him for, what? Almost a year now," Sage remarked, thinking back to the first time Sharon texted her about a hot guy she had met at a party.

"I think it was love at first sight for him. I keep telling him to just make it happen," Bucky explained.

"I keep telling Sharon that dropping subtle hints doesn't work on guys. Like, he can't read her mind," Sage said with a shrug, and took a drink. Bucky chuckled.

"Not all of us," he defended. "Well, I like to think I can take a hint, at least," he added. "Steve is just weirdly self conscious about this kind of stuff."

"I think they'll get there eventually," Sage concluded. Before transferring, she only ever heard things from Sharon's point of view. All she knew of Steve was what Sharon told her, and screen shots of pictures of him from social media that Sharon sent her. Bucky nodded in agreement.

Sage finished her drink and set the glass on the counter. She stepped around the island and across the large room. She opened up doors to the large built in cabinets on the far wall, revealing a large TV and expansive sound system.

"What should we listen to?" she called across the room to Bucky. He pushed his tall form off of his bar stool and crossed the room to stand next to her. Sage had turned on the sound system and was holding an auxiliary cord.

"I have just the thing," he answered, pulling his phone out of his back pocket and plugging it in. He tapped at the screen, pulling up his go-to playlist and hit 'play.' The house was immediately filled with music, an upbeat folksy rock song that Sage hadn't heard before started playing. Over the music, Sage heard the oven timer going off. She left Bucky's side to remove the pizza.

Sharon and Steve came back inside as Sage set the pizza on the stovetop to cool a bit before cutting into it.

"Oh, perfect. I'm starving," Sharon said in relief as she laid eyes on the pizza.

Between the four of them, and with Steve and Bucky having larger appetites, the pizza didn't last long, and soon after the bowl of salsa was empty. Everyone was also well into their second drinks.

"Let's go put on our swimsuits," Sharon said, grabbing Sage's hand and dragging her up the stairs.

"Oh my god, I might just jump him," Sharon gushed the second their bedroom door was closed.

"Go for it, girl!" Sage laughed. Sage could tell that Sharon was starting to feel the two margaritas. Sage definitely made a strong batch, and had a feeling that both her and Sharon would be going to bed drunk later. Sage fished a swimsuit out of her backpack and took it into the bathroom. She changed and went to the bathroom so she wouldn't have to once she got in the water.

Sage exited the bathroom, and Sharon took her place, already changed and wearing denim shorts over her bottoms. While Sharon used the bathroom, Sage pulled on a pair of athletic shorts and the same shirt she had on before. Once they were both done, they headed back downstairs.

"Y'all ready for round three?" Sage asked the room, heading straight for the blender. She made her peace with getting wasted. She smiled devilishly as she refilled her abandoned glass with the last of the melted margarita.

"It's one of those nights, huh?" Bucky laughed. He and Steve had switched to beer.

"This is gross now," Sage ignored Bucky, and grimaced at the sip she took of her drink. She dumped it into the sink and went into the fridge. Sharon joined her, bumping their hips together as they stared into the fridge, trying to figure out what to make next.

"Is it too early for Fireball shots?" Sharon asked the boys over her shoulder.

"Yes!" Sage answered quickly. In her experience, nothing good ever happened after Fireball shots. "I'm good with this," she said, pulling a can of beer out of the opened case. Sharon rolled her eyes and pulled out the handle of vodka and some juice to mix it with.

"Sharon is not messing around," Bucky laughed.

"It's a holiday," Steve defended with a shrug and a smile. It wouldn't be his first time taking care of drunk friends.

"Cheers to that!" Sage raised her can in the air at Steve's sentiment.

"I'm gonna go change. Make sure these two don't drown or fall down any steps," Steve jokingly instructed Bucky, then stood to go upstairs to change out of his jeans. Sage rolled her eyes and followed Sharon out onto the porch. Sharon found a lighter in the screened in part of the porch, and started lighting mosquito candles around the hot tub. As she did that, Sage climbed up onto the edge of the hot tub and stuck her feet in.

It was a nice night. The house sat atop a hill, overlooking the lake. It wasn't too hot, and a light breeze coming off the lake made it even nicer. Because there weren't any city lights, a lot of stars were visible. The music Bucky had playing wasn't too loud, and Sage could hear crickets and frogs. Settings like this always relaxed her, and she took in a deep, appreciative breath as she looked out over the dark lake.

"You're not going to join us?" Sharon asked Bucky as she climbed up next to Sage.

"I'm good right now," he answered, taking a drink from his beer. He sank a little deeper into the Adirondack chair he occupied, stretching his legs out in front of him. Steve came out then, taking a seat next to his friend, holding a fresh beer and handing one to Bucky.

"I thought nature was supposed to be more… quiet," Steve mused, noticing how much noise the bugs and frogs made.

"City slickers," Sage jokingly scoffed. She was used to cicadas and frogs back home.

"Just pretend the frogs are sirens," Bucky chuckled.

"Yeah, oddly enough it's a lot noisier at night," Sharon agreed.

"I think it's relaxing," Sage shrugged. She stood up to clumsily take off her shorts without getting out of the water, and pulled her shirt off. She threw the clothes onto the ground next to Bucky's seat, and sat down in the bubbling water of the hot tub.

"Goddamn, its hot," Sage swore, moving from the seat in the corner of the tub to stand in the center. Sharon followed Sage, shimmying out of her shorts a little more gracefully and sliding into the water slowly.

Once used to the heat, Sharon started talking about plans for the rest of the weekend. Clint, Natasha, and Clint's girlfriend Laura were expected later the next day.

"Are you getting in here or what, Steve?" Sage finally asked. Steve huffed, but stood anyway and approached the tub. He pulled of his shirt quickly and climbed in, sitting next to Sharon, leaving a healthy distance between them. Sage caught Bucky's eye and they shared a conspiratorial smile.

"I'm gonna get out of these jeans and get something a little stronger. Anyone want anything?" Bucky announced as he stood up.

"I think Sage ought to make more margaritas," Sharon said, looking pointedly at her friend.

"Fine, fine," Sage agreed, then stood up and climbed out of the hot tub. She followed Bucky inside.

"Should have brought a damn towel," she muttered as she stood on the doormat just inside the kitchen door, dripping wet. Bucky laughed and threw her a clean dish towel from near the sink.

"I'll bring you a real towel from upstairs," he said. He tried his best not to be too obvious in looking at her. But it was hard not to stare at a pretty girl, soaking wet in a swimsuit.

Bucky ran upstairs, kicked off his shoes, pulled off his jeans, and tore off his long sleeve button down. He pulled on a swimsuit in case he later felt like getting in the hot tub, though he doubted he would. Then he pulled a fresh tee shirt on over his head. He grabbed a zippered hoodie and an armful of towels from the bathroom before leaving the room. On his way downstairs, he heard Sage fire up the blender.

She stood at the island, dripping water onto the counter and floor. Bucky set the pile of towels down on the island, unfolded one, and draped it across her shoulders as she blended the drinks. She smiled at him gratefully. She would have said something, but doubted he'd hear her over the blender anyway.

Not long after, the margaritas were done. Sage took the pitcher off the blender base, grabbed a stack of disposable plastic cups, and followed Bucky back outside, towel still draped around her shoulders like a cape.

"Just a warning, if we finish this pitcher, we will all be white girl wasted," Sage joked, handing the stack of cups to Sharon. She pulled them apart and handed one to Steve and another to Bucky. Sage filled their cups generously, then filled her own. She set what remained in the pitcher on one of the tables and everyone took their first drink of the batch.

"Holy shit," Steve swore, wincing at the strong taste of tequila.

"You weren't joking," Bucky agreed, though he took another sip.

Sage set her drink down, and separated her shorts from the pile of clothes on the ground and pulled them on. Bucky sat back down in his chair and Sage took up Steve's abandoned seat next to him.

"We should play a game or something," Sharon suggested.

"Like what? Truth or dare?" Sage laughed. She wasn't much for drinking games, and dreaded where Sharon was going with her idea.

"I don't know, something like that," Sharon shrugged.

"You can't suggest we play a game and then not have a game suggestion," Sage jokingly scolded.

"Suggesting we play a game _is_ a game suggestion," Sharon defended, giggling at the confusing word play.

"Never Have I Ever is a fun one," Bucky interjected with a smirk.

"I hate that game," Sharon whined.

"It's too easy to single people out," Sage agreed.

"Well, what other games are there?" Sharon asked, trying to think of something that didn't involve game boards or a deck of cards.

"All I can think of are cheesy middle school party games. Like seven minutes in heaven," Sage giggled.

"Or spin the bottle?" Bucky added.

"Remember in the seventh grade when you made me go to that party at Ricky Genecova's house?" Steve started, pointing an accusing finger at Bucky. "And all the girls made everyone sit in a circle to play Spin the Bottle?"

Bucky burst into laughter at the memory. "That was a good night!"

"Yeah, 'cuz you got to kiss Carly Mohr!" Steve argued.

"You're just mad 'cuz your spin landed on Toby Marshall," Bucky continued to laugh.

"Our second summer together at camp, a bunch of us snuck out of our cabins, and we played truth or dare in the woods," Sharon started, her memory jogged by Steve's story.

"Oh god," Sage groaned, burying her face in her hands. She knew where Sharon was going.

"There was this boy that was so in love with Sage," Sharon continued. Sage groaned loudly again in protest. "Apparently he and his bunkmates made this master plan to get him and Sage together. What was his name again, Sage?"

"I don't recall," Sage lied, pulling her hands away from her red face to take a very large gulp form her margarita.

"I can't remember, but anyway, we were all in the woods playing truth or dare. Nothing too scandalous. Just a lot of "who do you have a crush on" or "I dare you to say who you have a crush on." Nothing wild," Sharon explained.

Bucky looked over at Sage and could almost laugh at how red her face was. "I can tell this is going to be a good story," he remarked. Sage rolled her eyes and took another drink.

"Tanner Thoveson! That's his name! He was so obsessed with Sage, he practically stalked her all summer," Sharon cried, the name finally coming to her. Sage threw her head back against the chair and closed her eyes tightly. She had long since tried to forget about Tanner Thoveson.

"Anyway, he made this deal with one of his friends, that when it was his turn, he would ask Sage truth or dare," Sharon continued, grinning from the memory.

"Like an idiot, I said dare," Sage said, continuing the story. She knew there would be no stopping Sharon, and the sooner it was over with, the better.

"Oh god, what did you do?" Bucky asked rhetorically, laughing at the entire situation being described to him. He could just picture a young Sharon and Sage sitting in the middle of the woods at night with a bunch of desperate fourteen-year-old boys.

"He dared her to flash," Sharon answered.

"Flash? Flash what?" Steve asked, feeling a little second-hand embarrassment for Sage. He had a feeling that he knew already.

"My boobs! And I did!" Sage cried, finishing the story so Sharon couldn't draw the story out any longer.

"You're kidding!" Bucky shouted, laughing loudly.

"Why?" Steve asked through his own laughter. Sharon sat beside him, giggling at the memory. She grabbed ahold of Steve's shoulder, pretending to steady herself as she laughed.

"The best part was when the kid turned to Tanner and said 'you're welcome' and she walked right up to him and punched him in the throat!" Sharon finished the story, trying her best to get through it without laughing too hard.

"In the throat?" Bucky asked incredulously.

"He deserved it," Sage shrugged, then finished her drink. Her cheeks were completely red, and she could feel the hot blush spread to the tops of her ears and her chest.

"It's just a game, though. You didn't have to show him your…" Steve gestured to his chest.

"Sage is stubborn as hell. If you say she can't do something, she'll do it just to spite you," Sharon answered for her friend.

"I'll have to remember that," Bucky joked, smiling crookedly at Sage. She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

" I want to go down to the dock," Sage said a few minutes later, after the topic of conversation finally changed. She stood up from her chair and set her empty cup on the table next to the pitcher.

The water's edge and dock were at the bottom of the hill. In the middle of the deck railing was a gate, that opened to wooden steps and the path to the dock. On the railing at the top of the steps was a hidden switch that turned on little lights along the pathway.

"Go with her and make sure she doesn't fall in and drown," Sharon instructed Bucky. He chuckled and pulled himself out of the lounge chair, and followed Sage down the long steps. She moved down the fairly easily, considering her three margaritas and one beer.

The dock was long and narrow, leading out to a large covered area with a round table and several chairs set up around it, and a single light hanging above the table.

"Watch out for frogs," Sage warned. Bucky didn't know what she meant until he noticed little black lumps on the wood that occasionally moved and jumped back into the water. The noise was definitely a lot louder down on the water, too.

"Think there are snakes in there?" he asked, catching up to Sage, who stood at the furthest edge of the dock.

"Not out in the middle," Sage smirked at Bucky's horrified expression.

"Really?" he pressed, not sure if she was kidding or not.

"I don't really know about up here, but back home, snakes are everywhere," Sage elaborated. Bucky's frown deepened at the thought.

"Like rattlesnakes?" he asked. He wasn't well versed when it came to nature, having spent pretty much his entire life in a dense city. The wildest things he saw growing up were raccoons and stray dogs and cats.

"Diamondbacks, copperheads, timbers, cottonmouths, Massasaugas," Sage listed.

"I'm never coming to Texas," he deadpanned.

"Those are the only venomous ones," Sage shrugged. Snakes were just a fact of life for her. Of course they creeped her out, but she had come across enough of them by now to go for a shovel before screaming.

"How common are they?" he asked out of morbid curiosity.

"They pretty much don't exist in the cities. We would get a few rattlers where we lived. I'd mostly find them in the garage or on our patio," Sage answered.

"Fuck. What do you do?"

"We would keep shovels by all the doors. My dad shot one once," she said.

"What does a shovel do?" he asked, a bit naively. Sage suppressed a giggle.

"Chop the heads off. Or at least whack them until they die," she explained. Bucky grimaced at the thought. He couldn't really imagine Sage wailing on a snake with a shovel.

"But you have to be careful. Just because its head is detached from the body, doesn't mean it won't still bite you," she added. Bucky shook his head in disbelief.

"Never going to Texas," he reiterated. He recalled all of the snake safety lectures during his tours, and was extremely grateful that he never encountered any vipers while overseas. He could understand stumbling across a snake out in some desert, but the idea of finding one in his own home unnerved him a bit.

"The worst we have to worry about up here is snapping turtles, and these guys," Sage assured him. Then bent over and scooped up a frog from the deck. She cradled it gingerly in both hands, and held it out to Bucky. He made a disgusted face and Sage laughed.

"Is that safe?" he asked.

"Find out for yourself!" she challenged, stepping closer to him still holding out the frog for him to take. He pulled back, very much not wanting the frog anywhere near him.

"I'm good, doll," he assured her, sliding his hands into the pockets of his hoody. Sage giggled and gently tossed the frog out into the water with a splash.

"Baby," she accused, then reached out and grabbed Bucky's arms, wiping her hands off on his sleeves. He pulled his hands out of his pockets immediately in panic.

"Oh gross!" he cried, sending Sage into a laughing fit. He laughed along with her, though not quite as amused as she was.

"You little punk," he teased, then wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her head down in a light headlock, making her laugh even harder. He gently pulled her away from the edge of the dock. In her fit of laughter, Sage snorted, which made her laugh even harder. Bucky laughed too at the sound she made. It was hilariously cute to him. He felt proud that he had made her laugh that hard, even though she was drunk and it hadn't been that hard.

He let her go, and they both calmed down.

"Do you think they're making out yet?" Sage asked Bucky, pointing up the hill to the porch. Neither of them could see the hot tub, or anything else on he porch, from where they stood.

"If they're not, I say we lock them in a room until they do," he answered her. She smiled in agreement.

"Let's go find out," she said and grabbed Bucky's hand, leading him back down the dock and up the steps. Halfway up, she turned to him and held a finger to her lips, signaling to him to keep quiet. They crept up the steps slowly, crouching down so they could spy a bit on Steve and Sharon. Neither of them could hear anything but the music still playing. Confused, Sage peered over the top of the railing and sighed. She stood up straight and released Bucky's hand.

"They're gone," she said disappointedly.

"Maybe they went upstairs," Bucky said suggestively. Sage turned to him and smirked.

"Wouldn't that be a relief," she said. Sage noticed the hot tub had been turned off, and that the pile of clothes, abandoned cups, and pitcher had been cleaned up. The pair went inside and found Steve and Sharon sitting in the living area. Both of them were now full clothed and seated separately.

"I'm gonna take this off," Sage sighed, referring to her wet swimsuit. She went straight for the stairs and stomped up them, tripping on the last steps and slamming her knee into the ground. "Fuck!" she yelled. Maybe she was drunker than she realized.

"Please don't hurt yourself again!" Sharon yelled from the living room. Sage could hear footsteps coming up the stairs as she pulled herself up on the railing. A large hand grabbed her waist.

"You OK?" Bucky asked, guiding Sage away from the stairs.

"Golden," Sage answered confidently. Her knee hurt, but the alcohol dulled the pain. She walked into the room she shared with Sharon, acting like nothing just happened. She closed the door on Bucky, and ripped off her damp swimsuit, threw it in the bathtub, and dumped all of her clothes out of her backpack and onto the bed. She stepped into clean underwear and athletic shorts. She briefly considered if she wanted to put a bra on or not, and settled for a sports bra. As she pulled a fresh tee shirt over her head, she opened the bedroom door and stepped out into the common area. She didn't expect Bucky to still be there. She quickly pulled the shirt the rest of the way down and laughed at his surprised expression. She didn't care, it wasn't much different than her swimsuit.

"You didn't have to wait," she said cheerfully, pulling her hair out from the shirt.

"I wasn't sure that you'd make it down the stairs OK," he explained.

"My hero," she teased, walking past him and heading down the stairs without incident. Bucky followed closely behind.

"Sage," Steve started, "Sharon says you have a history of injuring yourself." He and Sharon shared a mischievous smile.

"Remember that same summer when you flashed Tanner Thoveson, how you broke two fingers?" Sharon asked, fighting back laughter.

"I was just playing volleyball," Sage shrugged, heading for the fridge. "Who wants a shot?"

"I do, and you weren't _just_ playing volleyball. You body slammed some girl into the ground," Sharon elaborated. Sage just shrugged at the memory, then twisted the cap off of the handle of tequila.

"I've done worse," she said.

"Yeah, like when you jumped off a roof into a pool, or broke your leg three years ago?" Sharon listed.

"OK, I really don't want to have to drive anyone to the emergency room this weekend," Steve said, kind of shocked by Sharon's stories. Sage didn't originally strike him as a risk taker, but Sharon's stories told him otherwise. Bucky had similar thoughts. Sage hid her reckless streak pretty well.

"I know CPR, but please don't make me use it," Bucky added with a chuckle. "How the hell did you break your leg?"

"I fell off of a ladder, and it was just a hairline fracture. She's making it sound worse than it was," Sage explained. She found a stack of shot glasses in the cabinet above the coffee maker. "Fellas?" she asked, holding up the bottle of tequila. Steve declined, but Bucky and Sharon joined her at the kitchen island. They knocked their shots back quickly, and for a brief moment, Sage felt like she might throw up. The feeling passed, thankfully.

"Ugh, that was a bad idea," Bucky screwed his eyes shut, trying to keep the shot down. It obviously didn't sit well with him either.

"I'm not cleaning up vomit, either," Steve warned from the couch.

"Nobody is going to puke! And if they do, it will be in the grass or in a toilet!" Sharon warned. She not only didn't want to clean anything up, but also didn't want to potentially ruin anything in her family's vacation home.

"Man up!" Sage yelled and slapped Bucky on the back. She shrieked and giggled when he pulled her back down into the second headlock of the night. Pulling on his hands didn't help her situation, so Sage just wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to his shirt.

"Get a room!" Sharon joked.

"Alright, see you guys tomorrow," Bucky laughed. Suddenly Sage's head was released. Bucky's arms moved from her neck to around her waist, and she was lifted into the air, Bucky hoisting her over his shoulder. She shrieked again, unable to stop her laughter.

"This is the weirdest foreplay ever!" She joked, hanging limply over Bucky's shoulder as he carried her from the kitchen to the living area. He gently tossed her down onto the sofa opposite Steve and Sharon.

"Yeah, but you liked it," Bucky joked back, sitting down on the couch next to her.

"You rocked my world," she said sarcastically, playfully rolling her eyes. He knocked his knee against hers.

"Holy shit, Sage. Your knee!" Sharon leaned forward from her seat, pointing across the coffee table to Sage's leg. Sage extended her leg, propping her foot up on the coffee table. A purple, rectangular bruise had formed on her knee, where she slammed it into the stairs.

"I'll get some ice," Bucky immediately left his seat to get some ice from the freezer.

"Bags are in the middle drawer in the island," Sharon told him. "Does it hurt?" she asked, turning her attention to Sage.

"Only when I poke it," Sage answered, gingerly poking the bruise to test it.

"It'll hurt tomorrow," Steve warned. "It doesn't look swollen."

Bucky sat back down, a sandwich bag full of ice wrapped in a dishtowel in hand. He gently set it down on top of Sage's knee.

"Thanks," she smiled at him sweetly.

"No more horseplay for a while," Sharon warned. She reached across the coffee table and pulled a basket towards her. She pulled off the lid and revealed several remote controls. She pulled a long slender one out, and turned the music off. The next one she pulled out, she used to turn on the TV in the media cabinet. "Stop me when you guys see something good," she instructed as she started scrolling through channels.

They all eventually settled on a campy scary movie. Sage settled into the cushions of the sofa, leaning slightly on Bucky's arm to get a better position to view the TV and still be comfortable. He didn't seem to mind. About halfway through, Sharon fell asleep, head lolled to the side and cheek resting on Steve's shoulder. He pretended like he didn't notice. But once the movie was over, he lightly nudged her awake suggested going to bed.

Sage was comfortable, and not quite sleepy enough to go all the way up to bed. Also, the sequel to the movie started playing, and she liked the sequel far better than the original. It was gorier and funnier. She also didn't mind if she fell asleep on the couch and spent the night there.

"You staying here?" Bucky asked her, standing from his seat as Sharon and Steve trudged upstairs to their rooms.

"Yeah, I like this movie," Sage answered. She pulled her feet off of the coffee table, and stretched her legs out on the sofa. She was about to lay down completely, but Bucky gently grabbed her shoulder to stop her from the movement, and sat back down. He let go and let her lean into him, his arm draped across the back of the sofa.

Sage was a bit taken aback by the closeness, but said nothing. He didn't say anything either.

Half an hour into the movie, Bucky started fidgeting and shifting around in his spot.

"Sorry, hold on," he apologized quietly. He gently pushed Sage away, making room for him to twist. The couch was deep, and left plenty of room for him to swing his legs up on the cushions, running along Sage's. He leaned back against the armrest, and let go of Sage's shoulder, letting her lean back. It was an awkward position, and she was more comfortable twisting and laying on her side, resting against Bucky's chest, one arm snaked into the small space between his back and the edge of the cushion, the other resting across his stomach.

It was a comfortable position. By the time the credits started rolling at the end of the movie, Sage was definitely ready to go to bed. She started to move to get up when she realized Bucky was fast asleep. She debated whether or not she should try and get up without waking him to go to bed, or wake him up so they could both go to bed. Then she considered just staying there.

In the end, she decided that she was pretty comfortable, and could easily go to sleep quickly if she stayed, so she did.


	7. Feel Alright

Just in case anyone was wondering, TMU, or Texas Methodist University is not a real school. I jacked the name from Friday Night Lights, and it's a fictional version of SMU.

Please feel free to leave some feedback! I like to know what people think because I'm a greedy little attention-thirsty gremlin.

"Feel Alright" by Steve Earle

* * *

Sage woke up several hours later as the sun was rising. For a minute, she felt pretty good. Then she started to feel her hangover, and how badly she needed to pee. Bucky was still fast asleep.

Sage slowly and gently lifted away from Bucky, sliding her arm out from behind him. She took a minute to acclimate to sitting up as the headache kicked in.

"Please don't puke on me," Bucky pleaded quietly, his voice rough from sleep. She must have looked a little green. Sage didn't even acknowledge him, all she knew was that he was awake and that she didn't have to be careful anymore. She clumsily climbed over him, and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She headed straight for the stairs and climbed the steps, disappearing into the room she shared with Sharon. Bucky sat up, not feeling too much better than Sage looked. He put his feet on the ground and stepped on a sandwich bag full of water, bursting the bag and splashing water onto the carpet. He swore, tossed the broken bag onto the coffee table, and left the puddle to go upstairs to his own bed.

Sage woke up to the sound of Sharon moving around in her bed a couple of hours later.

"Fuck," Sharon swore hoarsely. She slowly sat up and leaned back against the headboard. She frowned and closed her eyes tightly. Sage watched her, amused, but not feeling much better.

"Good morning, sunshine," she teased, her voice also rough.

"When did you get in?" Sharon asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

Sage glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was just after ten.

"The sun was rising," Sage answered, unsure of the actual time she moved from the couch downstairs to her bed.

"Holy shit, did you hook up?" Sharon quickly whipped her head to stare at Sage wide-eyed. She immediately regretted the sharp head turn.

"Yeah, we did it on your aunt's couch," Sage said sarcastically, pulling the blanket up around her face. The bedroom was dark and cold.

"Well, did you at least make out?" Sharon asked, recognizing Sage's sarcasm.

"No, he fell asleep barely halfway through," Sage answered bluntly. "Did you do much better than me?"

"No, he's such a fucking gentleman," Sharon groaned. Sage eased herself into a sitting position, then slowly got out of bed, joints creaking as she moved. She hobbled into the bathroom to pee. Her knee ached a bit, and the bruise was a lot darker than she remembered it being last night.

While she was in the bathroom, Sage washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled her hair up into a messy knot. When she was done, she and Sharon traded places. She found a room temperature bottle of water on the nightstand, probably belonging to Sharon, but it was still sealed. She opened it and forced herself to drink it until it was gone.

Sharon came back out of the bathroom, looking a bit fresher. She crawled back into her bed.

"I might go out in the water," Sage mused.

"You're nuts," Sharon muttered, her face pressed into her pillow. Sage was definitely hung over. But she hated wasting the day in bed, feeling like shit. She preferred to pretend like she felt fine, until she actually did feel fine.

"Kayaks still under the porch?" Sage asked, ignoring Sharon's comment.

"Yes, but you won't find your sanity there," Sharon answered.

"You're such a peach," Sage teased. She grabbed Sharon's thigh and shook it vigorously, making Sharon whine in protest.

"I hope you tip over!" Sharon cried as Sage went back into the bathroom to change into the same swimsuit top she wore the night before. She kept on her shorts, and found sunglasses and a cap in her backpack.

As she left the bedroom and closed the door quietly behind her, she took note that Steve and Bucky's bedroom door was closed. She wondered if they were still in bed. Sage found her shoes by the bottom of the stairs and slipped them on, forgoing socks. She grabbed a cold bottle of water out of the fridge, and noticed that someone had cleaned up the kitchen.

Sage quietly exited the kitchen onto the screened in porch. She carefully closed the door behind her.

"Hey," Steve greeted. Sage jumped and dropped her water.

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me," Sage swore, turned to see Steve sitting at a table, holding a cup of coffee with a book open in his lap.

"Sorry," he chuckled. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm just going out on the water before it gets too hot," Sage answered, jerking a thumb over her shoulder towards the lake.

"Swimming?" Steve asked, not quite understanding what she was up to.

"Kayak," she answered simply.

"Wow, you feel well enough to do that?" he asked, a little taken aback. The last time he had seen her, Sage had been pretty drunk.

"Oh, I feel like shit," she laughed humorlessly, "But I'm choosing to ignore that."

"Well, more power to you," he laughed.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Sage told him, turning to go.

"Have fun," he said with a wave, returning to his book.

Sage left the screened in part of the porch, and went down the steps a bit. She hopped off into the grass, and headed under the raised porch. Nailed to the support posts were racks of paddles. A row of kayaks, a paddle boat, a canoe, and a rowboat were propped up against the side of the house. Careful to avoid spiders, Sage pulled out a lime green single seat kayak. She rested it on the ground and grabbed a paddle. She put her water bottle and paddle in the kayak, then lifted it by the handles, and made the trek down the sloping lawn to the dock.

She gently placed the kayak in the water, and very carefully climbed in. She took off, no particular destination in mind. She hugged the perimeter of the lake, staying out of the way of boats.

As she went on, she worked up a large amount of sweat. There were several swim platforms anchored around the lake. When she came across one, she paddled up to it, climbed out, pulled the kayak up onto the platform so it wouldn't float away, and pulled off her glasses and hat. Sure that nothing would get lost in the water, Sage dove into the water, feeling instant relief from the heat.

She swam around and floated on her back for a few minutes, trying not to think about her conversation with Bucky the night before about snakes. She knew she was far enough out from the shore to really worry.

Starting to feel hungry, Sage put the kayak back in the water and climbed back in, deciding that she was done and ready to head back to the house. She climbed out of the kayak and onto the dock, and pulled it out of the water. She pulled it into the grass and turned it upside down. Her arms were tired, and she was hungry, so she left it.

On her way up the steps, Sage removed her hat, and pulled her hair down to shake out the lake water. She kicked her shoes off and left them on the deck in the sun to dry out. Her clothes and hair were wet, but her skin was dry, so she didn't worry about dripping water onto the floor in the house.

Sage prioritized food above a shower, and went straight to the fridge.

"Where the hell did you go?" Bucky asked from the couch, causing Sage to jump for the second time that morning. She dropped the jar of jam she was holding back onto the shelf, making a loud clanging noise. Bucky burst into laughter satisfied that he scared her.

"Jesus!" Sage swore, turning to stare accusingly at Bucky. He did nothing to hide his amusement. Sage picked the jam back up and closed the refrigerator door forcefully.

"You and Steve need little cat bells," Sage said, pointing a finger at him over the kitchen island. She opened a loaf of bread, pulled out two slices, and spread jam on both pieces.

"So you're jumpy and easily scared?" he guessed. Sage mashed both pieces of bread together in a sandwich. "You're not even going to toast that?"

"All I want is to stuff my stomach with empty carbs," she answered, taking a large bite of the jam sandwich.

"So when you're hung over, you go out and exercise, _then_ have your hangover meal?" he asked a bit incredulously.

"Is that OK with you?" she asked challengingly as she strode over to the living area, stopping a few feet in front of him. She held the sandwich in one hand, and placed the other on her protruding hip. She smirked down at him, waiting for a smartass response.

"Nah, I'm cool with it," he smiled charmingly back up at her.

"I'm going to take a shower now. Is that alright?" she teased.

"By yourself?" he joked cheekily. He was such a flirt.

"You seem busy, or else I'd invite you up," she shot back, turning to climb the stairs. She was very tempted to look back and see his reaction, but willed herself to keep her eyes ahead of her. Sage returned to her room to find Sharon fast asleep. She grabbed clean clothes and took a nice, long shower.

As a door closed upstairs, Steve came through the front door. He found Bucky in the living area, smiling to himself, looking down at his phone.

"What has you so happy?" Steve asked, going straight to the kitchen for water. He had just come back from a run and was dripping sweat. After taking a large gulp of cold water, he ripped off a paper towel from the roll and wiped his face and neck off.

"Nothing," Bucky answered innocently. Steve knew his best friend well enough to know that it wasn't just "nothing." But he let the subject rest and went upstairs to shower and change.

After lunch, Sage and Sharon pulled lounge chairs down to the dock to lie out in the sun. Steve joined them, though opted to read in the shade of the covered portion. After slathering on sunscreen, Sharon laid out on her back in her swimsuit, holding her arms out from her sides to get the best tan coverage. Sage lay on her stomach, folded her arms and used them as a headrest. Sage didn't much care for tans, and wore shorts and a tee shirt. She fell asleep within minutes.

Sage was jolted awake by someone tickling the bottom of her foot. She kicked her leg out on reflex, and her foot connected with Clint's stomach. He nearly lost his balance and fell off the side of the dock, but recovered in time.

"Woah, watch it!" he yelled.

"You should've fallen in," a pretty girl with long brown hair deadpanned. Sage had never met Laura, Clint's girlfriend, but she felt safe in assuming that this was her.

Still a little confused, Sage looked around the dock. Sharon had pulled on a gauzy cover-up dress and was standing at the beginning of the dock with Natasha. Steve was standing next to her lounge, moving to greet Clint. They must have just arrived.

"Sorry he woke you up. I'm Laura," the pretty girl apologized for her boyfriend's behavior and reached over Sharon's abandoned lounge, holding out her hand. Sage reached out to take it with a smile.

"I'm Sage. It's good to finally meet you," Sage replied warmly.

"I thought we were here to party? Why is everyone asleep?" Clint asked as he shook Steve's hand.

"Was Bucky asleep?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, he's passed out on the couch," Clint answered.

"How come he gets to sleep?" Sage whined. She was feeling groggy and a little fried from being in the sun for god knows how long.

"Because I don't have a death wish," Clint replied with a wry chuckle.

"It's not a good idea to wake him up," Steve added.

"Babe, let's go change. I want to get in the water," Laura said, reaching out her hand for Clint to take. She led him up the dock to where Natasha and Sharon were talking, and the four continued up the steps to the house. Sage and Steve trailed after them.

By the time everyone got inside, Bucky was awake and sitting up on the couch, rubbing his face and raking his long hair back out of his face.

"Did you guys go too hard last night, and that's why everyone is dragging ass?" Natasha asked pointedly, grabbing her small leather bag, ready to follow Sharon up the stairs to be her bed. Natasha would share the green room with Sage and Sharon, taking the third twin bed in the room. Sharon had Clint and Laura in the only room with one queen bed, or the yellow room, which was decorated with more floral patterns than should have been allowed in one room. Whenever Scott and Sam showed up, they would have the kids room. The kids room had no real decorative motif, and had three sets of bunk beds to choose from.

"Sage peer pressured us into it," Bucky joked.

"Yeah, I told them that they ain't cool unless they drink," Sage played along, exaggerating her slight accent. To her, she didn't have one. At least, not compared to a lot of other Texans she knew with way thicker accents.

"She make you drink moonshine?" Clint laughed.

"Yeah, I saved you some," Sage answered with a wink. Clint pulled a face, and followed the girls upstairs to drop his bag and change.

"I guess we're going down to the water," Steve told Bucky. He was ready, wearing a tee shirt over his swim shorts.

"I'm good," Bucky replied. Sage was confused. She was starting to realize that Bucky had absolutely no interest in any of the water activities, even the hot tub. Steve sat down on the couch opposite Bucky, content to just keep his friend company.

Sage felt compelled to sit down with Steve, in a show of solidarity. She didn't know what she was showing solidarity for, but she sensed that it was an opportunity to lend support.

"There's a shit load of games in there," Sage suggested, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, gesturing to an armoire near the fireplace.

"You don't want to go down to the lake?" Steve asked, turning to Sage, a bit surprised by her actions.

"I've been down there all day," she answered with a shrug.

"You might miss out on Clint throwing someone in the water," Bucky tried to joke, but Sage could sense a twinge of discomfort in his tone. She could tell she was throwing the two off.

"I'm sure there will be a repeat performance later this weekend," Sage smiled, persevering through the unexpected awkwardness. "Besides, there's a pretty decent hiking trail somewhere around here that I want to try."

"Sharon mentioned that. She said it takes you to a cliff with a pretty good view," Steve said, looking to Bucky to try and gauge his interest.

"Y'all should come!" Sage suggested, putting her hands on her knees and scooting to the edge of the couch cushion in excitement. Bucky smiled, amused by her reaction. Steve smiled at Bucky's own reaction.

"Yeah, sounds cool," Bucky agreed.

Clint came barreling down the stairs, followed by Laura. Both were dressed and ready for the lake. Sharon and Natasha came down a second later. Natasha wore a sheer white dress over her black bikini, large black sunglasses, and an even larger floppy black sunhat.

"Trying to avoid the paparazzi?" Bucky teased Natasha.

"More like trying not to look like a sun-damaged cowboy in ten years," Natasha bit back.

"Sage, when you come down, bring a very large pitcher of margaritas!" Sharon called to her roommate as she moved to follow Clint, Laura, and Natasha outside.

"We're actually going hiking. I'll make you a batch now, though," Sage replied, standing to get started on the drink order.

"You three?" Sharon asked, caught off guard, stopping dead in her tracks. Everyone else paused in the door.

"I actually wouldn't mind swimming a bit. You two go ahead," Steve said to Bucky and Sage, standing from his seat as well. "I'll make drinks. You guys go."

"I'll help you," Sharon smiled at Steve, breaking off from the lake-bound group to help Steve play bartender. "Do you remember how to get there?" Sharon turned her attention to Sage.

"Yep," she answered, popping the P and smiling.

"OK, I guess we'll see you at dinner?" Sharon asked Bucky and Sage. Bucky shrugged and looked to Sage for an answer. He didn't know how long the trail was, but he didn't really care either.

"If we're not, call the search party," Sage joked. "I'm gonna go put on shoes and get my keys," she told Bucky and went upstairs.

"I need shoes, too," Bucky announced, and followed Sage upstairs.

After locating her keys and slipping on a pair of socks and her almost dried out shoes, Sage met back up with Bucky in the sitting area. He had taken off his hoody, and wore dark gray basketball shorts, black sneakers, and a black long sleeve tee shirt. Sage realized he wore a lot of dark colors, but they suited him. They really fit in with the dark and broody, "I have long hair and don't care what you think" air about him.

Bucky followed Sage downstairs, where Steve and Sharon were laughing while making different drinks. Apparently Clint, Laura, and Natasha had given them individual drink orders. Bucky grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator behind Sharon and Steve, then followed Sage outside to her 4Runner.

It was only a couple of miles down the road to the trailhead. Sage parked the car in the shade, and she and Bucky got out, leaving their phones in the cup holder. Sage lifted her shirt a bit to clip her keys to the waistband of her shorts. Bucky pulled a black elastic hair tie off of his wrist, held it between his teeth, gathered his long hair, and tied it off into a messy ponytail. As big of a fan as Sage was of the long hair, she might have been an even bigger fan of his long hair tied back.

Sage led the way on the narrow trail, Bucky following close behind her. The trail wasn't very steep, but had quite a few switchbacks.

"If you could be any animal, what would you be?" Sage asked, growing tired of the silence and trying to break the ice.

"Be an animal?" he repeated, unsure of where she was going.

"I'd be a dog, probably," she said. "Or maybe a hawk or something, so I could fly around and get the best views," she added. She looked expectantly over her shoulder at Bucky, waiting for his answer.

"Um, I don't know, I haven't thought about that," he said.

"Maybe a bear?" She looked back over her shoulder to see his confused expression. "They get to eat, and eat, and eat, then sleep through winter. That's a pretty sweet gig," she explained.

"That doesn't sound half bad," he said with a chuckle. "Being a dog doesn't seem so bad either. Lay around the house all day and get your belly rubbed?" he continued. Sage smiled, finally getting him going.

"Yeah, but then some vet will chop your balls off," Sage laughed.

"Maybe not a dog," he laughed loudly, not expecting Sage's glibness.

"What's your favorite color?" Sage asked, changing the topic.

"Blue," he answered simply without much thought. "Yours?"

"Yellow. Or green," she answered, having to think a little.

"Yellow?" he questioned.

"Yeah, like yellow daisies," she offered. Bucky made note of that bit of information. He had a feeling that if he played this right, it would come in handy sooner or later.

"What did you want to be when you grew up?" Bucky asked, catching on to Sage's gimmick and beating her to the punch of the next question.

"An artist," she answered simply.

"Is that why your major is art history?" he asked, trying to connect some dots.

"Kind of," she said with a shrug.

"Do you draw or paint? Steve's pretty good at drawing. I thought he was going to go to art school for a while," Bucky said conversationally.

"I never would have guessed that," Sage chuckled at the thought of Steve in art school. He would stick out like a sore thumb. He didn't smoke excessively or wear nearly enough black.

"I wanted to be an MMA fighter," Bucky offered wistfully.

"Really?" Sage said disbelievingly, stopping and turning to look at him dubiously.

"Well, when I was really little, I wanted to be in the WWE," he said. Sage burst into laughter, trying to imagine Bucky watching the theatrical wrestling matches.

"Oh my god, tiny little speedo and all?" she teased.

"Some of them wear pants and full outfits," he defended.

"Like The Rock?" she continued, still laughing.

"And you wanted to be Picasso?" he countered. Though he had to admit that her childhood dream wasn't nearly as embarrassing. Sage's laughter faded into a wistful smile.

"I wanted to be like my mom, actually," she corrected.

"She an artist?" he asked interestedly.

"Yeah, she was a painter," she supplied. Bucky noticed the past tense and wondered if she was either deceased or retired. He wasn't sure how to ask, and wondered if maybe he should change the topic to avoid upsetting Sage.

"She was really good. She had stuff in galleries all over the country. She died when I was 13," Sage said, solving Bucky's dilemma for him. Bucky didn't detect a mournful tone, it seemed more like a statement of facts.

"That's pretty cool," he said lamely. He regretted not coming up with something nicer or cooler to say. Sage smiled anyway, then started walking again. Bucky followed.

"I took classes, but it wasn't for me. And I've always been a big reader, and I don't think anyone reads as much as a history major," she continued, joking a bit. She smiled reassuringly over her shoulder at him. She knew talking about dead parents was awkward territory and wanted to reassure Bucky that she was OK with it, that he didn't upset her. But she did want to change the subject.

"If you were on death row, what would your last meal be?" she asked.

"A full Thanksgiving dinner," he said, catching the hint.

"Canned or homemade cranberry sauce?" Sage tested.

"Homemade," he said confidently, an unspoken _duh_ punctuating the statement.

"Good answer." They fell into companionable silence.

"So now that you've met Sharon's friends, do you regret transferring?" Bucky asked a few minutes later, breaking the silence.

"Are you kidding? I'm already a million times happier than I was at TMU," she replied, thinking back to how much she hated her old school.

"Really?" he pressed her to continue.

"I only went to TMU for my dad, so it should have been obvious to me that I would hate it," Sage supplied.

"You don't get along with your dad?" Bucky guessed.

"I wouldn't say we don't get along," she mused. "We're just… strangers to each other," she finally added, trying to come up with good, simple wording to describe the relationship.

"Do you not know him?" he asked. He realized he was in dangerous territory and that it wasn't any of his business. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

"No, it's fine," she assured him. "My parents were married and we all lived together, but he was really into his job and he just wasn't around much," she answered simply and truthfully.

"I'm sorry," Bucky offered.

"You're just saying that because you don't know what else to say," Sage laughed and turned to face him. Not expecting the stop, Bucky almost ran her over.

"Kind of," he laughed with her, holding onto her upper arm to steady himself on the trail.

The pair continued on, changing the topic to sports. Bucky liked baseball and the Dodgers. Sage liked the Rangers, but she enjoyed basketball and the Mavericks a lot more. Neither one really cared too much for football.

"We made it!" Sage cried as they finally reached the end of the trail, cresting the top of a modest cliff. She climbed on top of a grouping of rocks and threw her hands into the air triumphantly, looking out over the water. Bucky laughed at her display, causing Sage to turn around and put her hands on her hips in a playful pout. Bucky climbed up next to her.

"What a view," he said lamely. They were maybe 30 feet above the water.

"It's no El Capitan, but it's better than staring at a dumpster fire," Sage smiled up at Bucky.

"That it's not, and I've seen a couple so I would know," he said.

"You city folk," Sage teased.

"Do you say 'howdy'?" Bucky teased back.

"I'd be lying if I said no," she admitted. They both laughed, and climbed around the rocks for a few minutes.

Bucky sat down on one of the larger rocks to appreciate the view, and get ready for the hike back down to the car. Sage kept exploring, and saw a little flash of green near her foot. Sage crouched down to get a better look at the lizard. Without a second thought, she gently picked it up, its little body between her thumb and forefinger. It wriggled around, and Sage held out her open hand underneath in case she dropped it.

Lizard in hand, Sage carefully stepped over to where Bucky was sitting. She squatted next to him and held the lizard out in front of him.

"Howdy," she said in a high voice.

"Jesus!" Bucky swore, startled when he realized she was holding a lizard. "The fuck is that?"

"I think it's an anole," she answered smartly, holding the lizard closer to her face to examine it. She shrugged, and gently set it back down on the rock, watching as it scurried away.

"Is your dad the Crocodile Hunter or something?" Bucky joked, watching Sage interact with the lizard, not at all afraid of it. After she spoke so candidly about stumbling across snakes, and picking up the frog the night before, Bucky was still surprised that a little lizard didn't freak her out. Most girls would be, even he kind of was. Not that he was afraid of the lizard, but he certainly didn't want to hold it.

"He was just a little thing," Sage shrugged.

"You're not what I expected," Bucky mused, turning a bit to look at Sage.

"What did you expect?" she asked, not quite sure what he meant. She couldn't read his tone and didn't know where exactly he was going.

"I don't know, I thought you'd be like Sharon," he started. "Not that I don't like Sharon, she's great," he saved himself before Sage could start a defense of probably her best friend.

"Please don't say I'm not like other girls because I picked up a lizard," Sage warned. "I hate it when guys say that. I've never met a girl that's like any other girl." Sage almost started a rant, and stopped herself before she made Bucky uncomfortable.

"I just meant that when Sharon told us her friend was transferring, and that we all had to be nice to her, I didn't expect it to be so easy," he explained with a shrug. Sage didn't know how to respond, so she kept quiet. It seemed like he was trying to compliment her, but almost completely missed the mark.

A few more minutes of silence passed by. Sage couldn't figure out what to say to either continue the conversation or start a new one, and Bucky was kicking himself. Usually it was Steve who stuck his foot in his mouth, and he was the smooth talker of the duo.

After a while they finally decided to head back. In silence.

"So what's your sign?" Sage asked, startling Bucky.

"Uh, pisces I think," he answered. "Does that mean anything?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "What was your favorite birthday party?"

"My thirteenth. Me and Steve in Coney Island with a crisp twenty dollar bill," he answered easily, smiling at the memory. Sage smiled too, at the sound of his voice.

"You?" he asked.

"My birthday is October thirtieth, so every year I had a costume party."

"That's pretty awesome," he chuckled.

On the dock at the house, Clint, Natasha, and Laura had easily settled into weekend mode. Clint, Steve, and Sharon jumped off the dock and floated around on inflatable pool toys. Natasha and Laura lounged in the shade, sipping from red Solo cups.

"So Clint tells me you have a master plan," Laura started, turning to Natasha who smirked guiltily. She had taken off the ridiculously large hat, but kept the large sunglasses.

"If Steve doesn't get his shit together by the end of the semester, then I'm dropping out and living in a cave," Natasha sighed. She had been acting as Steve's unofficial matchmaker for a while now, with little luck. But she had a good feeling about Sharon.

"I'll be surprised if it doesn't happen this weekend," Laura remarked, watching her boyfriend and friends in the water. It was obvious to everyone that Steve and Sharon were attracted to each other, and nobody could quite figure out why they wouldn't act on it.

"What do you think about Sage?" Laura asked, looking back to Natasha. She knew the redhead had an opinion, and she was dying to hear it.

"She seems nice," Natasha shrugged.

"Is there a but?" Laura pushed.

"Not yet," Natasha answered simply. So far she had a good impression of the newcomer. "I'm waiting to see what happens."

"With Bucky?" Laura guessed. There was definitely a _vibe_ between the two, at least according to Clint. Natasha smiled conspiratorially. "I wonder if 'going for a hike' is code for something?"

"One can only hope. He needs to get laid like, yesterday," Natasha said, then took a long sip of her drink.

"I don't know him very well, but you're not wrong there," Laura agreed.

"Will you guys quit gossiping and get in the water?" Clint yelled from his raft.

"I don't get in water that I can't see the bottom of," Natasha yelled back.

"It's a lake, not Turks and Caicos!" Steve admonished.

Finally home and dripping with sweat, Bucky and Sage stepped out onto the deck, ice cold beers in hand. The yelling coming from the dock pulled them down the steps to the water.

"How was the hike?" Sharon shouted from the water.

"Hot as hell!" Sage answered. Clint pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the dock.

"The water sure feels good," Clint said, hoping to make it sound enticing, directing his attention to his girlfriend. Laura still sat firmly planted in the lounge chair next to Natasha.

"Don't even think about it," Laura warned as Clint climbed to his feet. She knew him well enough to know what he had on his mind as he approached her chair.

"Come on, babe," he coaxed, now standing over her, dripping water. Laura sighed, setting down her drink and resigning herself to the inevitable. Clint picked her up easily, trotted to the edge of the dock, and threw her in. He jumped in after her.

"If anyone tries that on me, I'll kick their ass," Natasha warned the group. Everyone knew she was capable, so nobody even entertained the thought.

Sharon clumsily climbed out of the water and trotted up to Sage, wrapping her arms around her to get her wet.

"Come on," she cried, grabbing Sage's arms and trying to pull her towards the water.

"You're so drunk right now," Sage laughed, easily resisting Sharon.

"Help me!" Sharon turned to Bucky. He laughed at Sharon's attempts. He'd seen the blonde drop a drunk idiot in a bar before, but she was too drunk and too busy laughing to overpower Sage now. Taking her cue, he stepped over and wrapped his arms around Sage's middle. He lifted her easily.

Sage knew that no matter what, she was going to end up in the water. She was fine with it, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. She wrapped her arms tightly around Bucky's neck, gripping each of her wrists. When Bucky reached the end of the dock and tried to throw her in, he was pulled in after her. The two crashed into the water with a loud splash and a tangle of limbs.

Bucky knew he fell on top of Sage, he hit his head on what might have been her collar bone, and his knee connected with her body, though he didn't know what part. He quickly flipped into crisis management mode and pulled Sage to the surface.

"Fuck, are you OK?" he swore the second they broke the surface. His neck was sore from the force that pulled him down, and his forehead smarted from the smack against Sage's collarbone, but he was overall fine. Sage was too busy laughing hysterically to answer him.

"You guys are idiots," Steve commented dryly. He had swum over to help, but clearly he wasn't needed. Bucky relaxed and released the tension in his shoulders that he didn't realize was even there.

"Oh my god, you're fucking heavy," Sage choked out through her laughter. Sharon was having a fit on the dock.

"Keep this up and I'm going to win a bet," Natasha called from her lounge chair.

"What bet?" Bucky asked dubiously.

"We bet that someone would get seriously injured this weekend," Clint answered.

"How much?" Steve asked.

"Fifty," Natasha replied. "Keep this shit up and I might want to up it."

"I'll probably be the one to win your bet, so I think I should get a cut," Sage bargained. She was always the one to get hurt, so she might as well make something off of it.

"In case you guys forgot, I'm not driving anyone to the hospital," Steve repeated. He had spent way too many hours of his life in hospitals, emergency rooms, and doctor's offices for his own injuries or Bucky's.

"Are you listening, Sage?" Sharon directed her attention to her roommate.

"I make no promises. I attract trouble," Sage replied, swimming over to the edge of the dock, hanging off of the edge next to Sharon.

"You're going to be covered in bruises by the time we get home," Sharon laughed, reaching down to push the sopping wet hair out of Sage's face.

Sage pulled herself up onto the dock to sit next to Sharon. Spending the afternoon on the water in the sun, fueled by alcohol, and surrounded by friends felt pretty damn good. It felt just as good to realize that this strange assemblage of people really felt like friends already. A small nagging part of Sage's mind worried that she would feel awkward the whole holiday weekend, that she wouldn't fit in very well with Sharon's friends. She knew she got along well with Clint from all the time they spent together at work, but everyone else was kind of a toss up. Next to Clint, the only other person she had spent any amount of quality time with was Bucky.


	8. Summer Girls

I gotta admit, posting updates feels like shouting into the void. But alas, I'm having fun so fuck it. This chapter is pretty fluffy (which tbh when are college AU's not 100% fluff) and cute in a "hot mess and drunk af college kids" kind of way. Which is the best kind of way if we're being real.

"Summer Girls" by Mike Clark and the Sugar Sounds

* * *

As the afternoon wore on, the group moved from the dock up to the deck, then back inside to take turns in the shower and prepare a large dinner. The group had settled on spaghetti. It was easy to make, and cheap to make a lot of it. Sage had helped as much as she could in the preparation until it was her turn to take a shower. When she was done, the food was ready. Clint and Bucky played bartender as everyone helped themselves to the food.

After dinner, with dishes abandoned in the sink, the group made it out to the porch, toting along a case of beer and a couple of handles. The boys gleefully discovered a fire pit under a tarp on the porch. Steve and Bucky cleaned it out and found a pile of piñon wood, while Clint somehow discovered a dented can of lighter fluid.

"What is it with men and fire?" Natasha mused, sipping on a vodka tonic, sharing a lounge seat with Sharon.

"I hope your aunt has good insurance," Laura laughed, drawing everyone's attention to the lighter fluid.

"Are y'all really using _lighter fluid_?" Sage cried.

"How else do you start a fire?" Steve asked, genuinely curious. He could count all of the fires he'd started in his life on one hand. He wasn't exactly an authority. He would bet good money that Bucky didn't know much more than himself. Clint was a wild card. He always produced random skills.

"First of all, your wood is a _hot mess_ ," Sage admonished.

"Is that what she said?" Clint smirked. Bucky barked out a laugh and Sage snorted, everyone else rolled their eyes.

"Please, enlighten us," Bucky invited Sage to show them the proper way to build a fire. Sage sighed and heaved herself out of her chair.

"Step aside boys," she joked, gently pushing Steve and Bucky out of the way. "Someone go get me some kindling."

"Which would be…" Clint prompted.

"Small sticks or leaves. I'll settle for newspaper," Sage instructed as she started rearranging the wood. "It has to be dry!" She called after Clint.

"Were you in the boy scouts or something?" Bucky teased.

"I'm from the country," Sage drawled in explanation.

"Does that mean you know how to field dress a deer too?" Sharon joked.

"I'm going to be absent from that demonstration," Steve joked, leaving the fire pit to take a sit next to Sharon.

Clint returned with an old newspaper and handed it off to Sage. She ripped out a couple of pages, wadded them up, and shoved them under the teepee stack of wood. She took the lighter from Bucky and carefully lit the fire.

"Please, hold your applause," Sage announced as the fire came to life. Sharon handed Sage's drink back to her. Sage took a seat on the gliding bench on the opposite side of the fire. After grabbing a refill, Bucky took the seat next to her.

As the night wore on, the drinks continued to flow and the fire got rebuilt two more times. Natasha had the clear thought to dump a bucket of sand on the dying fire as everyone else stumbled inside where things got really silly, really quickly.

Sage scurried off to use the bathroom and when she came back, the coffee table had been pushed out of the way and Clint and Steve had each other in chokeholds. Sharon was egging them on as Natasha quietly braided a drunken Laura's hair. The few times that they had partied together, Laura had puked twice. The hair braiding was more of a precautionary measure than a female bonding moment, if Natasha was being honest.

"Are you waiting for your turn?" Sage giggled, grabbing Bucky from behind and draping herself across his shoulders.

"Yes, I hope she uses bows," Bucky laughed, tilting his head to the side to look Sage in the eye, blinking girlishly.

"Do I want to know why they're wrestling?" She asked Bucky, turning to look at Steve and Clint. It was hard to tell who was winning. Sage had a feeling nobody was.

"Because its fun," he answered simply, then slipped his arm around Sage's waist, pulling her off of his shoulders and under his arm, trapping her.

"Is it, though?" she deadpanned, staring up at Bucky, trying to look unamused. She couldn't hold a serious face, though, and started laughing. Staring up at Bucky started to make her dizzy and she tried to wriggle out of his grip. He let her go, but pulled her down to sit closely next to him.

Finally reaching an impasse, Steve and Clint let each other go and flopped down on the sofas.

"I might puke," Clint groaned. Wrestling after all that Jack was a bad idea.

"I'm not taking care of you if you puke," Laura giggled. Most everyone knew that it would probably be the other way around, though.

"I think we should play a game," Sharon started. "I think we should play beer pong," she continued.

"Yes!" Clint yelled. Just as everyone knew Laura would probably end up with her head in the toilet, they knew to never play against Clint in beer pong. He had perfect aim.

"I'll play, but you have to take a handicap," Steve agreed tentatively.

"You have to throw with your left arm," Bucky started.

"Is that the best you got?" Clint challenged.

"And Laura has to be your partner," Natasha added.

"Oh, come on!" Clint whined.

"Excuse you?" Laura challenged.

"Babe, you're perfect and I love you, but you're wasted and you have terrible aim," Clint took his drunk girlfriend's face in his hands and spoke to her sweetly.

"And you're lucky to have me!" she added. He bent down and kissed her, then pulled her up gently. "Let's go, dream team!"

"Come on, time to prove your worth," Sage grabbed Bucky's hand, pulling him up behind her. He helped Clint clear off the large kitchen island and set up the cups. Sage remembered the box full of ping pong balls in the pantry and grabbed a couple.

Sage and Bucky made a fairly good team, but even with Laura as a handicap and using his left hand, Clint creamed them. Not wanting to take any more shots, Sage tapped out and called in Steve to take her place.

Sage grabbed a beer from the fridge and joined Natasha and Sharon on the couch. She may have been finished with taking shots, but she wasn't quite ready to stop drinking.

"How are you even upright?" Sharon commented on the drink in Sage's hand, then stifled a yawn. It was getting very late and all of the day drinking was catching up with her. Sages shrugged animatedly and cracked open the can.

"Hey guys!" Laura cried, crashing into Sage as she tried to sit down next to her.

"Compared to her, I'm sober as hell," Sage laughed, wrapping an arm around Laura's shoulders. Laura returned the gesture and wrapped both arms around Sage's stomach, smiling widely.

"I'm not that drunk," Laura giggled.

"Babe, you're wasted," Clint shouted form across the room, where he continued playing beer pong against Steve and Bucky, sinking his shot with seemingly no effort.

"I'm not as drunk as you were when you asked me out!" she shouted back. Clint sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please tell me this story," Sage laughed, urging Laura to finish her thought before she lost it or passed out.

"Definitely one of Clint's prouder moments," Natasha commented.

"Who here hasn't gotten blasted in a bar and asked out a pretty girl?" Clint asked rhetorically as Steve lined up his shot.

"He's over-simplifying it," Laura conspiratorially told Sage.

"They always do," Sage giggled back.

"From what I heard, it was nineties night at the Garage," Natasha clarified, smirking proudly. It was pretty much college law that nothing good came from theme nights at dive bars.

"And you were dressed like Wayne from Wayne's World," Steve added.

"She was dressed like Liv Tyler in Empire Records, I had to talk to her," Clint defended himself.

"Damn the man, save the Empire!" Sage quoted.

"He spilled beer all over me on his way back to his date," Laura revealed.

"You picked up another chick while on a date with someone else?" Bucky exclaimed, kind of impressed.

"Tried to," Laura corrected.

"Didn't you tell him to get lost?" Sharon asked, vaguely remembering hearing this story before.

"Yeah, but a lot meaner," Laura grinned.

"She told me to go fuck myself," Clint corrected. "I ran into her in the dining hall two weeks later and tried again."

"He was more successful that time," Laura added, turning to Clint and blowing a big kiss across the room. Clint pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket.

"Wait, Sage," Sharon cried, startling all of the girls.

"Wait, Sharon," Sage mimicked.

"Tell them about the NASCAR guy," Sharon begged, trying not to laugh at her memory of the story.

"I don't know where this is going, but it's bound to be hilarious," Bucky remarked. Just the word NASCAR had everyone's attention.

"I met this guy at a party," Sage started.

"Not just a party! A fancy black tie gala in a hotel ballroom," Sharon corrected. Sage shot her a look, but continued.

"It was some charity event that my dad made me go to, and I met this guy, and we made out," Sage shrugged, not eager to rehash the whole saga. "And he was an Indy driver, not NASCAR," Sage corrected.

"You dated a racecar driver?!" Clint shouted in disbelief.

"I wouldn't use the word _date_ ," Sage suggested, trying not to reveal too much. A hot, uncomfortable feeling bubbled up in Bucky's gut. A _racecar driver_?! Steve tried not to notice his white-knuckled grip on the edge of the countertop.

"He was a rookie for Penske and I was a very rebellious teenager with authority issues trying to piss off my dad," Sage explained quickly, "Typical teenage girl stuff."

"They hooked up every time he came into town," Sharon waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"How did you end up at a gala with a racecar driver?" Steve asked, choosing to satiate his own curiosity and ignoring his friend's tense silence.

"My dad works for Texas Motor Speedway and I got dragged along," Sage explained simply. "Anyway, its not much of a story. Sharon just gets a kick out of it." Bucky had no idea what Texas Motor Speedway was, but he guessed some sort of racetrack. He knew next to nothing about cars and NASCAR, or Indy whatever. Originally he didn't think he was so different from her, but he was starting to realize that he and Sage were from very different worlds.

"He was an asshole and I was an idiot teenager," Sage finally amended. She suddenly wasn't feeling super proud of the story. Usually it was a funny little anecdote. She didn't mind dishing with the girls, or even Clint. But she felt bad doing it in front of Bucky. The Indy driver had been ages ago, but she felt weird talking about an old conquest in front of a potential… whatever. She definitely had the hots for Bucky, but they hadn't even kissed.

"Definitely not the Prince Charming every girl dreams of losing it to, but he was _hot_ ," Sharon continued, completely missing Sage's clues that she so did not want to continue with this topic.

"You lost your virginity to a NASCAR driver?" Clint cried, his tone a mixture of impressed and a little grossed out.

"Oh my god, I'm done," Sage muttered, losing her patience in an instant. Sharon and Laura were giggling, too far gone to pick up on the change in tone. The atmosphere was tense and uncomfortable. Sage stood up, though she didn't really know where she was heading. If she went upstairs she'd be the bad sport, raining on the parade.

"I lost my virginity in a fully lit basement on the Jersey Shore," Bucky spoke up. It was an awkward declaration, but his intentions were good. He was trying to take some of the attention off of Sage. Truthfully, when he realized she was about to leave, he blurted out whatever he could to stop her.

"I lost it to a carnie," Clint shrugged, feeling bad for giving Sage any grief.

"I don't think anyone in history had a _good_ first time," Natasha added.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Clint scoffed.

"I think maybe it's time to call it a night," Steve announced after the mood had settled and sobered. Looking around the room , Steve saw nothing but drooping eyes and stifled yawns. Laura had already passed out on the couch, leaning into Natasha's side. Clint agreed with Steve and scooped up his girlfriend to take upstairs to their room.

Natasha pulled Sharon up with her, and they both stretched out their tired limbs. Sage stood too, and started gathering cups.

"Leave that for tomorrow," Sharon muttered, then yawned deeply. She followed Natasha upstairs.

"She'll be pissed in the morning if I do that," Sage reasoned as she bent to pick up a beer can. Steve and Bucky patrolled the room, looking for anything to pick up to help out.

"Y'all don't have to," Sage started.

"Gimme," Bucky ignored her, and reached out to take the pile of cans and cups from Sage's arms. He carried them more easily than she could have, with his larger arms and hands, and deposited the trash in the bag Steve held out for him.

Steve dropped the bag by the back door, then headed for the sink where dishes had been left to soak. Steve rinsed off the dishes, then handed them to Bucky to put in the dishwasher.

"Y'all sure are domestic," Sage teased as she hoisted herself up onto the island countertop to watch.

"You can go to bed, you don't need to stay up," Steve said, ignoring Sage's joke.

"I'm OK," she replied. She was tired, but she didn't want to leave cleaning up to Steve and Bucky, even if she was only watching and not actually helping.

"So how bad is your essay going to suck because of this weekend?" Bucky asked her.

"Essay?" Sage questioned, having no idea what he was talking about. Bucky laughed at her confusion.

"That bad, huh?"

"Oh fuck!" Sage cried, suddenly remembering seeing something about an in-class essay on Phillips' syllabus, planned for their next class.

"Have you done the reading?" Bucky asked as Steve laughed.

"Mostly," Sage answered sheepishly.

"You'll be fine. It's the first one, and I'm grading it anyway," Bucky appeased. Steve shot him a good-natured warning look.

"It'll be fine," Sage half-heartedly agreed, trying to convince herself. She was too tired and too drunk to properly care. "I might even knock your socks off."

"Looking forward to it, doll," Bucky chuckled as Steve handed him the last plate. Steve grabbed a little dishwasher pod from the box under the sink and handed it to Bucky, who stuffed it inside the compartment, closed the dishwasher door, and started it up.

"Come on," Bucky grabbed Sage's hips and gently pulled her down from the countertop. Sage followed Bucky upstairs as Steve turned off all the lights downstairs. Once the final light was off, it was completely dark in the house, and Sage instinctively grabbed onto the back of Bucky's shirt and followed closely behind him, careful not to bump into him or anything else.

Bucky flipped on the light in the bedroom he was sharing with Steve, and Sage let go of him.

"Oh, no fair! Y'all have bigger beds!" Sage exclaimed as quietly as she could, mindful of the still open door and the passed out drunks in close proximity. Sage crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the nearest bed. "I definitely like this room better."

"There's not a bad view of the lake, either" Steve added, appearing the doorway next to Bucky. Sage spotted a familiar black tee shirt on the other side of the bed she sat on and figured it was Bucky's bed.

"Maybe we could facilitate a trade," Sage said, scooting back further onto the bed. Bucky caught onto what she was doing and moved to stop her, but she lay down across his bed before he could reach her.

"Don't get too comfortable," he warned as he headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"You'd think he'd be happy you're in his bed," Steve laughed.

"I know, right? Dream come true right here," Sage giggled as she repositioned herself against the pillows.

"Too bad there's another dude in the room!" Bucky called through the closed bathroom door.

"I'm not complaining!" Sage laughed, shoving her chilled feet under the covers of Bucky's bed. She really didn't intend to stay, but she was getting very comfortable. "Whaddya say, Steve?"

"Sorry, I don't think I'm up for a threesome any time soon," he played along, fishing out clean clothes form his bag to wear to bed. Bucky came out of the bathroom, leaving the door open and the light on for Steve.

"Not that a threesome wouldn't be awesome, but I'm concerned about the odds here," Bucky carried on with the bit as he approached the bed. Sage scooted over from the center of the bed to give more room.

"Threesomes seem like a lot of work," Sage said, then yawned deeply. Bucky pulled back the covers to get into the bed, and pulled them up over Sage, too.

"You staying?" he asked.

"Just give me five minutes," Sage bargained. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but getting up and going to her own room seemed like a Herculean task in that moment. Bucky relaxed against the pillows and grabbed his phone from the bedside table.

A few minutes later, Steve finished in the bathroom.

"She better not snore," Steve chuckled as he got into his own bed. Bucky looked over to see Sage completely asleep.

"She can't be worse than you," Bucky shot back with a grin. Steve rolled his eyes and turned out the light. Bucky plugged his phone into the charger and set it back down on the bedside table and settled into the covers, careful not to disturb Sage.

Several hours later, a swift elbow in the side threw Sage awake with a yelp.

"Fuck!" Sage swore.

"Sorry," Bucky muttered.

"Fuck!" Sage swore again. She forgot where she was, and the unexpected male voice scared her almost as much as the sharp elbow in the ribs.

"Sorry," Bucky apologized again. "You kicked me in your sleep and I freaked," he whispered.

"I didn't kick you," Sage whispered back.

"You kicked the shit out of me," Bucky argued.

"You were in my way," Sage defended.

"You're in my bed," Bucky retorted.

"You said something about the Olympics in your sleep and you kicked Bucky, and he hit you when you startled him awake," Steve said loudly from across the room, irritated from having been woken up.

"Why would you dream about the Olympics?" Bucky wondered. Sage groaned.

"Did I say anything else?" she asked, ignoring Bucky's question.

"Do you usually?" Bucky countered.

"Sometimes," she answered.

"All I heard was the Olympics," Steve replied. "Now everyone shut up."

"Sorry, Steve," Sage apologized. "Sorry for kicking the shit out of you," Sage whispered to Bucky.

"Sorry for hitting you," Bucky echoed, scooting closer. "You OK?"

Sage thought for a moment, feeling the sore spot left by Bucky's elbow. "Yeah," she finally whispered. "I can go," she offered.

"No, you're good," he answered. Sage reached out, her hand landing awkwardly and gently on Bucky's neck. She moved it until she found his cheek, leant forward and laid a quick kiss on it. She rolled over, putting her back to Bucky, and pulled the covers back up around her shoulders, ready to go back to sleep. She felt Bucky relax behind her, and it didn't take long until everyone was back asleep.

Sage awoke the next morning to the sound of whispering voices. She was curled up tightly, and had pressed herself up against Bucky's back sometime in the night. She was also completely uncovered, which explained why she felt so cold. However, Bucky was completely wrapped up in the covers and still sound asleep.

As she unfurled herself, Sage pushed her messy hair out of her face and turned over to figure out who was talking. The room was still dark, but the door was open to the sundrenched common area. She could see Steve through the door, still in his pajamas, talking to Sam. Scott walked passed, carrying his bag and a pillow. He stopped at the open door and waved.

Sage tiredly waved back.

"Good night?" Scott whispered to her, mindful of the still sleeping Bucky.

"I think I died and went to hell," Sage groaned in response.

"You look like hell," Scott laughed, then disappeared from the door to put his stuff down. Steve looked through the door at Sage, an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry, go back to sleep," Steve muttered as he reached for the door and closed it, leaving Sage in darkness and silence again.

"What's happening?" Bucky mumbled, the sound muffled from the quilt pulled over his face.

"You're a goddamn blanket hog," Sage answered, then took a fistful of the covers and yanked as hard as she could. Not expecting the movement, Bucky lost his grip on the covers. He rolled over to face Sage, and grabbed the edge of the comforter before she could get too settled.

"Sharing is caring," he muttered gruffly, his voice thick with sleep as he resettled against the pillows.

"Bite me," Sage said.

"Uh oh. Somebody doesn't feel good," he teased, pulling his hand out from under the blanket to pat Sage on the head patronizingly. Sage opened her eyes and gave him the dirtiest look she could manage with her hangover.

"I'd threaten to kill you if I thought I could take you," she warned.

"You're a real peach," Bucky teased, ruffling Sage's hair. He then eased himself out of the bed and stiffly walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Sage pulled the covers up over her head and rolled onto her side in an attempt to go back to sleep.

A moment later, Bucky crawled back into the bed. Sage opened her eyes at the disturbance to see that Bucky was under the covers facing her.

"It's only nine," he told her, pulling a pillow under his head as he rolled onto his side to face Sage.

"Why the fuck are we awake so early?" she whined.

"Go back to sleep, doll," Bucky chuckled.

"Shut up, _doll_ ," Sage mocked, and then buried her face into the pillow.

Several hours later, Sage woke up again to an empty bed and an empty room. After laying awake for a few minutes trying to gather enough resolve to get up, she abandoned Bucky and Steve's room for her own. She took a long shower and brushed her teeth vigorously. She still felt like crap, but she at least didn't feel like puking. After her shower, the house was quiet. Grabbing a random pair of sunglasses off of the kitchen island, Sage ventured out onto the porch. It was empty, but Sage could see some of her friends down on the dock and in the water. Swallowing back the apprehension of descending the stairs, Sage approached the group.

"It lives!" Scott shouted from atop a pool toy shaped like a shark.

"I was worried you weren't gonna make it," Bucky laughed, swimming up to the edge of the dock. Natasha and Sam looked over to her from their lounge chairs.

"Need a little hair of the dog?" Sam asked, holding up his cup in offering.

"That's a disgusting expression," Sage muttered, sinking down to the ground and scooting over to the edge of the dock where Bucky held onto the edge. She hesitantly dipped her feet into the water. "Pull me in and I'll rip you a new one," she warned.

"I thought you didn't think you could take me," he teased.

"Not this hung over, she can't," Natasha commented.

"So did you guys and Steve have some kind of ménage a trois last night?" Scott asked, paddling closer to the dock to join the conversation.

"I was wondering where you ended up last night," Natasha laughed.

"I think Steve would die before having a threesome," Sam chuckled at the very idea.

"If I'm having a threesome, it's not gonna be with Steve, or any other guy," Bucky added.

'Yeah, I don't think I could handle the both of y'all at the same time," Sage commented, adding on to the joke. "You probably require a lot of attention."

Bucky laughed loudly and patted Sage's knee, then swam off. As he swam towards Scott, Sage realized he had finally taken off his shirt. The lake water wasn't the clearest, but from the top of his shoulder and downward, she noticed an awful lot of scarring. Some things started to make sense now.

"What are the chances you'll want to go out on the water with us?" Natasha asked Sage.

"Like now?" Sage asked timidly. She didn't know if she'd be up to any physical activity for a while.

"Soon," Natasha shrugged. "Sharon took Steve and the perfect couple into town. They won't be back for a while."

"What, like a double date?" Sage giggled.

"That's what I said!" Bucky shouted while he tried to wrestle the blow-up shark from Scott.

"Don't we all wish," Sam sighed.

"So you in? We can share a boat," Scott asked.

"I'll go but I'm not paddling," Sage finally agreed.

Natasha claimed the hot pink solo kayak, and Sam took the lime green one that Sage had left in the grass. Sage ended up in the middle of a canoe with Scott in the front and Bucky in the rear.

"You guys know how to canoe, right?" she asked worriedly as Bucky pushed the canoe away from the dock. Getting everyone into the canoe without it tipping over was a pretty large victory in itself.

"You just paddle, right?" Scott asked over his shoulder. Sam and Natasha were already yards away, heading out of the channel and to the middle of the lake. Scott and Bucky paddled out of rhythm, and turned the canoe in circles.

"Scott paddle on the left, Buck on the right," Sage instructed. "You stick your paddle in the water and steer when you need to," she said to Bucky.

They eventually righted their course, but it was slow going and there was a lot of arguing. Sam and Natasha doubled back to see what the hold up was.

"This is just pathetic," Sam teased.

"I'm in a boat full of idiots!" Sage cried. Natasha laughed loudly as she literally paddled circles around the canoe, disrupting the rhythm of Bucky and Scott's paddling.

"You willingly got into a canoe with two people who have no idea what they're doing. You did this to yourself," Sam teased.

"Keep this shit up and we'll end up in the marsh," Sage threatened. The canoe had no real direction, but was definitely heading closer and closer towards the tall reeds.

"Is that bad?" Scott asked as he continued to paddle.

"Not if you like snakes, snapping turtles, and spiders," Sage answered.

"So get your shit together, fellas!" Sam called as he and Natasha paddled away.

"What the hell do we do, Sage?" Scott pleaded for some guidance, eager to avoid the scary-sounding creatures.

"Ask Sam and Natasha for a tow," Sage deadpanned. Sage turned around in the canoe carefully to face Bucky.

"Are you wearing my sunglasses?" Bucky asked, realizing that the black wayfarers looked familiar.

"I don't know. I found them in the kitchen," Sage shrugged. "You're steering all wrong!" She shouted, finally realizing why the canoe trip was going so wrong.

"How the hell am I supposed to do it?" he shouted back. Sage glowered at him, and realized he had never put a shirt or jacket back on. Sitting a foot away from him, Sage had a perfect view of the scarring on his arm. But she couldn't let herself focus on it. He was obviously self-conscious about it, so she ignored it.

"What the fuck is that?!" Scott screamed and jumped, dropping his paddle in the water and rocking the boat. Bucky and Sage looked to where Scott was pointing as they grabbed onto the sides of the canoe, trying to keep upright.

"You mean that stick?" Bucky sighed. Sage carefully reached over the water to retrieve the paddle before it floated away and kept it, rather than returning it to Scott.

"Sorry, guys. It looked like a snake and I panicked," Scott apologized, running a hand through his hair and scrubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Sage dipped the paddle into the water on the opposite side of the canoe from Bucky's and paddled once to angle the front of the canoe away from the approaching reeds.

"I probably shouldn't tell you that about ten feet past that tick, was an actual snake," Sage laughed as she and Bucky started paddling back in the right direction.

"You're kidding, right?" Scott asked cautiously, scanning the surface of the water for any snakes.

"We scared it off. Snakes are actually big fucking cowards," Sage comforted Scott.

"Whose been screamin'?" Sam called from the dock as the canoe finally made its way back to the house.

"Scott's not a fan of snakes," Bucky called back.

"We were worried we'd have to call the Coast Guard," Natasha teased as the canoe glided up to the edge of the dock. Bucky reached out and caught the edge of the dock to stop the canoe. Scott clambered out first, and Bucky helped Sage crawl onto the dock before he cautiously stood and exited, trying his damndest to not tip it over.

After being in the sun, Sage felt hot and drained, which didn't aid her hangover recovery. Once inside the house, she collapsed on the sofa as everyone else made snacks and drinks in the kitchen. She vaguely acknowledged someone asking her if she was hungry, but she went out like a light within minutes.


	9. To Be Young

Thank you so much to the lovely few of you who reviewed. You're angels and I love you.

This chapter contains more _quality time_ and relationship building. I promise the good stuff is coming!

"To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)" by Ryan Adams

* * *

By the time Sage woke up again, the house was quiet. She slowly sat up and looked around the room. A clock on the wall read 4:15, and she had to admit that she felt a lot better. And she was starving. Sage wandered into the kitchen and assembled a sandwich, and found cubed watermelon in the fridge. She took her spoils upstairs, hoping to clean herself up a little bit.

Scott was passed out on the couch upstairs, and through the open door to the blue room, Sage could see Steve laying down in the dark, scrolling through his phone. She let him be and went into the green room, where Sharon was asleep on top of her covers. Sage ate quietly on her bed, and when she was finished, she washed her face and brushed her teeth. She even dabbed on a bit of makeup to help her suffering complexion.

Sage left the bedroom quietly, letting Sharon sleep some more. She was about to go downstairs when she heard someone call her name. She turned from the stairs to see Natasha standing in the door of Clint and Laura's room, waving her over. She followed Nat into the room, where Laura was sitting on the floor and curling her hair.

"How can you do that without a mirror?" Sage asked, impressed that Laura was doing her hair blindly, and that it looked good.

"A shit ton of practice," Laura shrugged, wrapping a chunk of long brown hair around the barrel of the curling wand. "You're looking a lot more alive."

"I could say the same about you," Sage laughed. The last time she saw Laura, she was fall-down drunk.

"You both bounced back beautifully," Natasha agreed, sitting down on the edge of the bed and rummaging through a makeup bag.

"Why are y'all getting all gussied up?" Sage wondered, sitting down on the opposite side of the bed and leaning back against the pillows to watch the two get themselves ready for god-knows what.

"Mostly just bored. Everyone's either asleep or playing basketball out front," Natasha explained.

"And I figured I'd get my shit together at least once this weekend before everyone, my boyfriend included, thought I was an alcoholic swamp rat," Laura added. Natasha pulled a few items out of her bag and repositioned herself on the bed to face Sage.

"Laura was telling me about a breakthrough, and I think you can help," Natasha started as she popped open a compact of pressed powder and held it up to Sage's face.

"Steve and Sharon totally had a moment when we were in town," Laura elaborated.

"Almost had a moment. Clint ruined it," Natasha swirled a large fluffy makeup brush around in the powder and started dusting it down the side of Sage's cheeks.

"They were literally a second away from the most anticipated kiss since the Notebook," Laura continued.

"You're shitting me! We were so close!" Sage laughed.

"So we're going to pull out all the stops tonight and finally make it happen. We have a fool-proof plan," Natasha said, pulling out another compact.

"I pledge my allegiance to the cause," Sage said excitedly, sitting forward to give Natasha a better position to sweep on what looked like bronzer.

"It's really very simple. We just get them alone again," Laura explained.

"So we all just disappear one by one?" Sage asked.

"Discreetly. Laura's on Clint duty. Sam and Scott aren't exactly _with it_ , but I know how to lure them away," Natasha elaborated. "Would you mind if I shaped your eyebrows?"

"What? Why? Are they bad?" Sage self-consciously reached up and touched her eyebrows, pulling back from Natasha as she searched through her bag for tweezers.

"No, I just think they'd look nice with a little arch," she ran a delicate finger across her own eyebrows to explain. "I promise not to screw it up."

Sage scrunched her face up in trepidation but relented. Natasha always looked flawless, and if she was going to let any one of her friends pluck her eyebrows, Natasha seemed like the safest choice.

"What about Bucky?" she asked, closing her eyes and titled her face up to allow Natasha to clean up her brow line.

"He's your responsibility. He's Steve's best friend, so he's one hundred percent in support of this, but he's an idiot and cant take a hint so he won't know when to make himself scarce," Laura said, standing up to look at herself in the mirror hanging above the dresser, scrunching up her freshly curled hair to break up the tight curls.

"So what do we do, ditch Steve and Sharon and come inside to play Monopoly?" Sage asked, trying her damndest not to flinch while Natasha carefully plucked.

"It'll be suspicious if we all leave at once and go to the same place," Laura pointed out.

Natasha finished plucking Sage's eyebrows, and finished doing her makeup.

"Anyone want the curling iron before I unplug it?" Laura asked the room Natasha eyed Sage and ran a hand through her light brown hair.

"Go ahead," Sage sighed, resigned to the fact that she was just going to be Natasha's doll. Natasha grinned and pulled Sage to sit closer to the wand. "You do realize that we're going to be outside all night, and we'll probably end up throwing each other into the water again, right?"

"At least we'll look good until then," Laura giggled. She scrambled for the door at the sound of a light knock.

"What are you guys doing in here?" Sharon asked, bleary-eyed as she stepped into the room and Laura closed the door behind her.

"Wasting time and makeup," Natasha answered simply as she sectioned off Sage's hair.

"How come you let her do your hair no problem, but fight me tooth and nail?" Sharon asked Sage.

"Because I'm pretty sure Natasha could kill me and make it look like an accident," Sage teased, winking up at Natasha.

"Sharon, go grab your shit. You look like death warmed up," Laura instructed the blonde. When Sharon left the room, the three girls shared knowing looks, then readied their poker faces for Sharon's return.

"Is contouring too much?" Natasha asked as she worked on Sharon's face. While Natasha's back was turned, Sage tousled her hair to disrupt the nearly flawless curls. As if she knew what was going on, Natasha looked over her shoulder and scowled at Sage.

"It was too perfect," Sage offered sheepishly.

"She does that to me, too. She likes messy hair," Sharon shrugged.

"No, it's hot," Laura started. "It's like sex hair," she giggled.

"I bet that has an interesting psychological effect," Natasha mused.

"Gonna test it on Barnes?" Laura winked.

"Oh, please," Sage groaned. It was fun to tease other people about crushes, like Sharon about Steve, but she wasn't eager to have the spotlight turned on her.

"Don't think we aren't going to give you shit for the rest of your life about not making it back to your own bed last night," Sharon warned lightly.

"It's not like I've never crawled into your bed after heavy drinking," Sage shrugged. Sharing beds wasn't exactly risqué. She'd passed out drunk in a bed with three other people before.

"Sounds like you're into some kinky stuff, too. Barnes told us you have a mean kick," Natasha smirked from over Sharon's head.

"Well he elbowed the shit out of me," Sage shot back, yanking up the side of her shirt to show off a round bruise on her ribs.

"You bruise like a peach," Laura laughed. Sage had really acquired quite the collection of bruises over the weekend.

"I hope you realize that after we set the date for Steve and Sharon's wedding, you're next," Natasha told Sage.

"You guys need a better hobby," Sage brushed off the teasing. The attention and talking about anything turning serious with Bucky or anyone else made her uncomfortable. She didn't want to get her hopes up, she didn't know where he stood, and she didn't want to potentially wreck her status in the new friend group should things not work out. There were a lot of factors that had Sage taking things slowly.

Sage hadn't even been able to admit to herself that she full-on liked Bucky. She'd admit to anyone that she found him attractive. Anyone with functioning eyes would agree with her. She'd admit that they got alone very well. She appreciated his sense of humor and she felt like they understood each other. He seemed well-liked by his friends, and if you were going to trust anyone, Steve Rogers' best friend would be a damn safe bet. But Sage had only just met these people, had only ever spent quality time with Bucky a handful of times over the course of a few weeks. And she had a very busy semester ahead of her.

Standing in that room, watching Natasha do Sharon's hair, Sage suddenly felt a lot of pressure, and with that came a lot of fear. She wasn't ready to address any feelings, let alone do anything about them. So she bolted. She made a lame excuse to leave the room, passed a still sleeping Scott and Steve, and went outside to join the basketball game.

"Woah, Brigitte Bardot," Clint whistled at Sage.

"Wow, that was dated," Sage laughed.

"Don't tell me you got all made up just to watch me whoop some ass in basketball," Sam teased.

"Natasha was bored and I can't take her," Sage shrugged. "She and Laura have Sharon tied to a chair right now."

"She realizes we're grilling out and we'll probably all end up in the water by the end of the night, right?" Bucky asked rhetorically.

"She's got the curling iron out, so you better hide," Sage gently yanked on Bucky's hair. He swiped out to grab her in a headlock, but she ducked out of the way and dashed off giggling. He chased after her until she pushed Clint in the way.

"Whose team am I on?" she asked Sam.

"Depends on how good you are," he countered.

"I played in high school," she shrugged.

"Barnes can use all the help he can get," Clint instructed.

"Oh no, that means he sucks," Sage jokingly whined.

"Only for money," Clint jabbed, then quickly ran out of swinging range from Bucky. Sage and Sam howled with laughter.

"Alright Mata Hari, don't disappoint me," Sage attempted to get Bucky's attention back on the game and off of beating the shit out of Clint.

The game wasn't much of a game, and more of the guys attempting to pull off fancy trick shots or three-pointers, that quickly dissolved into blatant fouls.

Sam was gearing up for a three-point shot and Sage jumped on his back, smacking at his hands over his shoulder at the ball. Bucky took the opportunity to steal the ball. Clint attempted to block, but Bucky used his height advantage so sink a shot. Sage jumped off of Sam's back and high fived Bucky.

"This is getting ridiculous," Sam whined. "I'm starting to believe all of Sharon's stories about you hurting yourself."

"So I shouldn't tell you the story about how I knocked my patella out of place during a tournament junior year?" Sage grinned at the horrified looks on Clint and Sam's faces. Bucky honestly wasn't too surprised at the idea. "Don't worry, I popped it back into place and we won."

"Keep that shit up and you're gonna be getting real good parking spots," Sam teased.

Bucky passed the ball to Sage at the top of the key to start the game back up again. Sam snapped back into game mode and moved to cover Sage while Clint attempted to guard Bucky. Sage faked right and launched the ball in the air to Bucky, who had to stretch to catch it over Clint's head. Sage dashed down the key into Bucky's pass and made an easy layup.

"Well, I'm done," Clint threw his hands up in exasperation.

"You're just pissed we're not playing HORSE," Bucky goaded, giving Sage an enthusiastic high five.

"If we were, you'd all be naked right now," Clint warned.

"Why the _fuck_ would we be _naked_?" Sam cried.

"Strip HORSE," Clint shrugged.

"I don't think any of us would ever agree to that," Sage giggled.

"Fine, then maybe strip poker?" he suggested.

"Nobody wants to get naked with you, Clint," Sam chuckled.

"Then how about a friendly wager?" Clint continued.

"Nobody wants to bet money," Bucky replied.

"You mean because we're all broke-ass college students?" Clint laughed humorlessly. "It doesn't have to be money," he shrugged.

"Loser has to do something horribly embarrassing?" Sam guessed.

"Yes!" Clint cheered. "Loser has to get the winner's name tattooed on their ass."

"If I ever got a tattoo, it wouldn't be some dude's name," Bucky scoffed.

"What if Sage wins? Then it'd be her name on your ass," Sam teased and winked at Sage, who rolled her eyes.

"If I get a tattoo, I want something really cool, like an eagle. Or a hawk!" Clint continued.

"I wouldn't mind another tattoo, but it's definitely not going to be on my ass," Sage mused.

"Wait, you have a tattoo?" Bucky questioned. He tried to remember all the times he had seen her in a swimsuit. Surely he would have seen it already, but he was coming up empty.

Sage reached up and pulled her hair over her left shoulder and tilted her head, revealing a blue and orange colored lightning bolt tattooed behind her right ear. The boys crowded around to get a better look.

"Bowie fan?" Bucky guessed. Sage let her hair fall and nodded.

"Is that it?" Clint asked, a bit disappointed. Sure, it was one more tattoo than he had, but it wasn't terribly impressive.

"Nope," Sage answered simply, smirking. The guys looked at her expectantly, but she didn't make any moves to show whatever other tattoos she had hiding.

"Don't tell me you actually have one on your ass," Sam asked drily. He didn't take Sage as the kind of person to get a tattoo on their butt, but maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought yet.

"They're not," she replied simply, leaving everyone in suspense.

"It's more than two?" Clint balked. The guys thought they were all pretty observant, and couldn't figure out how they could miss three whole tattoos on Sage's person, not after seeing her in swimsuits the whole weekend. Sage sighed in defeat.

"They're right here and I don't feel like taking my shirt off. Ask me again after a few drinks," Sage lifted her arms and placed her hands on either side of her ribs, or an area more affectionately known as "side boob."

"Hey, idiots!" Everyone turned to see Natasha standing by the front door. "We're starting dinner!" Sage was grateful that the conversation was stopped short of talking about her boobs. Everyone followed her inside, where Sharon was piling meat onto a platter and Laura was chopping vegetables. Scott and Steve were noticeably absent.

"Are you guys gonna go out and help Steve and Scott light the grill, too?" Sharon accused.

"Ask a guy to help cook, and they go straight for the fire. God forbid they chop a vegetable!" Laura complained. Through some careful manipulation, all of the food prep was handed over to the guys, while the girls made a pitcher of extremely strong piña coladas and took up residence on the lounge chairs on the deck.

After minimal arguing about how to properly cook a steak, and a fresh round of piña coladas, everyone settled down on the dock with full glasses and plates loaded with food.

"Not to sound like a broken record, but I want to circle back to something here," Clint started, effectively ending the conversation about the first weeks of classes.

"Brace yourselves, everyone," Sam groaned.

Clint stuffed a piece of steak in his mouth and pointed his fork accusatorily at Sage, trying to find the right words as he chewed. "I need to know more about the boob tattoos."

Sage fell into the back of her chair and sank down, covering her face with her hands. The sun was setting and there was a nice breeze. It would have been a very lovely evening, if Clint could let things go.

"Woah, what?" Steve laughed.

"Your tattoos?" Sharon turned to Sage, trying to figure out if Clint was talking about what she thought he was. Sage glanced her way and nodded. "They're really nice."

"You've seen her boob tattoos?" Sam asked, wincing after realizing he accidentally used Clint's terminology.

"They're on her ribs," Sharon corrected. "And yeah, they're cool."

"I thought that's what I saw," Natasha muttered to herself. She had noticed what she assumed to be tattoo ink peeking out from under Sage's swimsuit top the day before. "Anymore besides the Bowie behind the ear?"

"The what behind the ear?" Sharon echoed, turning back to Sage. She didn't know about the most recent tattoo. Sage pulled her hair to the side again to show the most recent tattoo to Sharon. "Cute," she approved.

"It's just the three. I'll show y'all the others later," Sage promised. Secretly she had no intention of showing anyone, and she hoped everyone would just forget. She stuffed a large chunk of steak into her mouth so she wouldn't have to keep talking.

After dinner, everyone pitched in to clean up so they wouldn't have to do it the next day when they would be trying to get out of the door and back to school. It went quickly with all of the hands, and soon everyone was back around the fire pit, going around in a circle playing Never Have I Ever. After a few rounds, the game got silly until everyone forgot they were even playing a structured game.

Laura pulled Clint away for a walk, which everyone assumed was code to go makeout somewhere against a tree in the dark. Natasha and Sage knew that Laura was fulfilling her part of the plan. Now the rest was up to Sage and Natasha.

"Do you guys know what sounds _really good_?" Scott addressed the group, slouched down in his seat and staring into the flames.

"Please don't say pot," Sam sighed.

"I like that idea, but I was thinking ice cream," Scott chuckled.

"Oh shit, that does sound good," Sage agreed.

"We didn't get any at the store," Sharon reminded everyone.

"Why would you not get any?" Scott accused.

"There's a convenience store not far from here," Sharon offered.

"Do you know where, Sage?" Natasha turned to Sage, staring at her intently.

"Yeah, I think I remember," Sage said slowly, catching on. "I probably shouldn't drive, though."

"While you guys argue about this, I'm going to bed. I'm beat," Sam stood up from the circle around the fire and stretched. Everyone bid him a goodnight as he headed into the house.

"Bucky can drive, he hasn't been drinking that much," Natasha suggested. "Can he drive your car?" Sage looked to Bucky to see if he was even interested in the plan before answering. He shrugged and mirrored her questioning look.

"Yeah," Sage answered slowly, turning back to Natasha.

"Bring back those ice cream sandwiches," Scott requested.

"Anything else?" Sage asked the group as she and Bucky stood. She was a bit worried that she wouldn't be able to come up with a good enough excuse to leave the group and drag away someone with her, but Natasha solved that problem for her. Sam luckily left on his own. Sage wondered what Natasha would come up with to get both him and Scott away at once. Now she only had to worry about Scott, but he looked like he was ready to fall asleep pretty soon anyway.

"If they have Choco Tacos, I wouldn't mind one," Sharon said hopefully. Now that someone was actually committed to the plan of getting ice cream, she was in favor.

"Want anything?" Bucky asked Steve.

"A drumstick or something, I don't care," Steve shrugged.

"Nat?" Sage looked to Natasha. "You coming?" she offered, just in case she hadn't been able to come up with another excuse.

"I could go for some Junior Mints," Natasha answered, smiling a bit mischievously.

"Gross," Bucky muttered. He followed Sage into the house, where they pulled on shoes and hunted for Sage's car keys, which she found on the floor next to the front door, and handed to Bucky.

"Don't fuck up my seat and mirror positions too bad," Sage jokingly warned as they climbed into her car. Bucky wasn't much taller than she was, and he only had to let the seat back a few inches.

"So how far away is the store?" Bucky asked as she turned the key in the ignition and flipped on the headlights.

"Probably fifteen minutes," Sage shrugged.

"Is there a long detour I'm supposed to take? Or are we just going to sit in the parking lot for an hour?" he asked as the car started to move down the driveway. Sage turned to look at him.

"Did Natasha tell you?" she asked.

"No, but I could spot this set-up a mile away," he laughed, glancing away from the road to look at Sage quickly.

"Well, I don't know how she's going to get Scott away from Steve and Sharon, but if anyone can do it, it's her," Sage continued, looking at Bucky as she spoke. She realized that his smile shifted into a slight frown. He looked confused for a brief moment, before he smiled again.

"So we're actually buying ice cream?" he asked.

"What else would we do?" she questioned.

"No, I just thought- never mind," he stumbled on his words, trying to figure out the best thing to say before realizing there wasn't a best thing to say.

"You thought _we_ were being set up?" Sage guessed loudly. He winced, smiled sheepishly, and shrugged.

"It kind of seemed like a two birds with one stone thing," he defended. "Or that's how Natasha made it sound. She can be really cryptic."

"What a sneaky snake!" Sage cried at the realization that Natasha had played the double agent. Bucky howled with laughter at the exclamation.

"A sneaky snake?" he repeated.

"If I called her anything worse she'd kick my ass," Sage laughed with him.

"She's not here," he pointed out.

"She'd still know," Sage warned. "Turn left up there," she pointed up the road at an upcoming stop sign. Bucky followed her instruction. In the distance he could see the illuminated sign for a 7-11.

"I don't think this is going to kill enough time. I don't want Natasha kicking our asses for interrupting," Bucky said, pulling into the 7-11 parking lot.

"Then let's just drive around a bit," Sage suggested. She couldn't think of anything else. It was late enough that everything else besides the convenience store would be closed, plus she knew next to nothing about the town.

Bucky circled the gas pumps and pulled back out onto the road. Sage turned on the radio and searched for a clear station and landed on an old Red Hot Chili Peppers song. She reached up and pulled back the moon roof cover, and pressed a button on the dash until the glass fully retracted. The wind rushed in and blew Sage and Bucky's hair into their faces. Sage giggled as she tried to gather all of her hair to tie it back. Bucky smiled as he tried to push his hair behind his ears, but his strands didn't stay in place for long. Sage reached into the center console and blindly felt around until she felt a hair clip.

"Here, lean over," Sage landed a hand on Bucky's shoulder, gently pulling him towards her. He leaned as best as he could without taking his eyes off of the road. Sage twisted in her seat and pulled her leg underneath her to give her more height and leverage. She raked together Bucky's hair as quickly and carefully as she could and tied it off into a messy little bun on top of his head.

"I look stupid, don't I?" he asked, grinning as he glanced at Sage who settled back into her seat. She giggled at the sight. Hair was sticking out all over his head, and a bun on top of his head definitely didn't suit him. "I'm taking that as a yes."

"I didn't do it as good as you do! Normally your hair back looks good but don't ever do it on top of your head like this," Sage laughed.

"You think I look good?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"You weren't hit with an ugly stick," Sage joked.

"Well, you weren't either," Bucky responded, smiling at her. All Sage could do was smile back, and then her phone buzzed in the cup holder, alerting her to a text. She pulled her phone out to see a text from Sharon.

"Sharon says 'Am I supposed to believe that this wasn't a complete set-up?' " Sage read the text aloud to Bucky, who laughed.

"That's not surprising. Sharon and Steve are pretty hard to trick," Bucky mused.

"If they know we're all trying this hard, why don't they just throw us a bone, and _bone_?" Sage wondered. If Steve and Sharon were so smart, she wondered why neither one of them would make a move already. She guessed that they both knew how the other felt. Bucky barked out a laugh at Sage's verbiage.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they've been hooking up in secret for months just to torture us all," Bucky hypothesized, then took a random turn on the road.

"You better not get us lost," Sage warned. "And maybe they have."

"No way, Steve's the worst liar. If he was keeping something that big a secret, I'd know," Bucky explained.

"Sharon's pretty good at it, but she'd be too psyched to keep it a secret for very long," Sage replied. Sharon and Steve were good, normal people that wouldn't see any reason to keep any sort of romantic relationship with each other a secret from their friends. They definitely both got teased by their friends, but it was something everyone supported.

"Y'all are a pretty close friend group, aren't y'all?" Sage turned to Bucky, watching him think as he drove.

"Yeah, we are. We've all been through a lot together," he answered, thinking back on all the shit he's been through with Steve, and everyone else.

"That's really nice, especially in college. I didn't have very many super close friends at my old school," Sage offered. "I really appreciate everyone letting Sharon's roommate tag along. I really like everyone."

"Trust me, they like you, too. You're not tagging along with the group," Bucky reassured, "You're in the group."

Sage couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face. She felt so comfortable with everyone already, and it was nice to hear that the feeling seemed to be mutual. Bucky smiled back at her.

Sage's phone buzzed again, alerting her to a text from an unknown number. Sage gasped loudly reading the text, grabbing Bucky's attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked, then noticed the giddy, excited look on Sage's face.

"I think this is Natasha. All it says is 'mission accomplished', " Sage read the short and vague text aloud.

"Fuck, FINALLY," Bucky cried, slapping the steering wheel.

"I think we deserve some ice cream for this!" Sage suggested.

"Even though we didn't do anything?" he chuckled.

"We helped facilitate. Now turn this car around and get me one of those cookie ice cream sandwiches!" Sage commanded. Bucky laughed and turned around as soon as he could.

It was hard to find their way back to the 7-11, but after a few wrong turns and some lucky guesses, they eventually made it. Sage bought her cookie ice cream sandwich and Bucky's King Cone. They figured they didn't need to actually get anyone else's requests, since the whole outing was a ruse anyway. The pair sat on the curb next to Sage's 4Runner, eating their ice cram in companionable silence. The parking lot was deserted, except for a stray cat lurking by the gas pumps, and the orchestra of crickets.

"Any chance you're going to tell me what this essay is about?" Sage asked, disrupting the silence to talk about class, of all things. She squished the two cookies together and watched the ice cream seep out the sides, then licking it off. She turned to Bucky, waiting for his answer as she did so. He tried to ignore the way she ate the ice cream and stared down at his half-eaten cone.

"I don't know what the prompt is, but if I did, I still wouldn't tell you," he answered her.

"Aw come on, what's the point of having a man on the inside?" Sage teased. Although it would have been great for Bucky to help her out with the class, she didn't really expect him to. She'd joke about him helping her cheat, but she didn't want to get him in trouble, or for him to think she was trying to use him.

"Make sure you know your student ID number," Bucky warned her. "He doesn't use student names."

"I've got it written down somewhere," Sage muttered, trying to remember where exactly.

"If you need help studying or want me to read your papers, I will," he offered. "But I can't do much else."

"That's more than enough! You don't have to help me!"

"No, but I want to," he shrugged, biting into his cone and cracking it. "Fuck," he swore as the cone crumbled in his hand, ice cream oozing out between his fingers and dripping onto the ground. Sage howled with laughter, until ice cream started dripping out from between the two cookies and onto her leg. She echoed his swear. They both tried to eat whatever was left of their treats, but had to drop whatever they couldn't salvage onto the ground.

"C'mon, I don't wanna get my car sticky," Sage pushed herself off of the curb and stood in front of Bucky. She offered her sticky hand to help Bucky up. He grabbed onto her hand with his own equally sticky hand. He didn't really need the help up, but he wasn't about to turn down the gesture. Once standing, Sage dropped his hand from her own, and they both went back inside the convenience store to wash their hands in the bathroom before heading back to the lake house. They drove back with the radio turned up and the windows down.

The light in the kitchen was still on, but nobody seemed to be downstairs. Sage walked over to the picture window to see if anyone was outside. The porch light was still on, but the fire pit had been put out. The lights leading down to the dock were off, but the light at the end of the dock, under the covering, was on.

"I can't tell if anyone's down there," Sage told Bucky over her shoulder, who was opening a two beers. He came to stand beside her, handing her one of the bottles, to look and see if he could see anything better.

"I see something moving," he answered. Sage followed him outside. Neither of them thought to turn on the step lights, so Sage gripped at Bucky's arm to guide her. After a couple of steps, he pulled his arm out of her grip and draped it over her shoulders, pulling her into his side.

"Nobody better be making out down here!" Bucky shouted as they reached the bottom of the steps. As they made their way down the dock, Steve, Sharon, Clint, and Natasha came into view.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Clint questioned, scrutinizing Sage and Bucky, particularly the arm Bucky had around her and their casual smiles.

"Natasha made us go to 7-11," Sage answered him, pulling Bucky over to an empty lounge chair and plopping down on it.

"Oh yeah? Then where the hell is my Choco Taco?" Sharon questioned.

"Yeah, I remember asking for some Junior Mints," Natasha added.

"Sorry, we forgot in the throes of passion," Sage joked. She could tell that everyone thought that she and Bucky had been busy doing something else. Bucky choked and sputtered on his beer.

"Well, you guys weren't the only ones," Clint said suggestively, winking exaggeratedly at Steve and Sharon. Sharon rolled her eyes and Steve shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

It was incredibly obvious that something was going on when one by one, all of his friends started disappearing, especially when Natasha started suggesting ice cream and getting help with her iPad from Scott, leaving him and Sharon alone. In fact, they both laughed at how ridiculously transparent their friends were being. He and Sharon were actually having a pretty good conversation, just the two of them. And then they kissed. A lot.

Then Laura and Scott went to bed, and Natasha got Clint up to speed. They decided to stay up and make the most of their last night on the dock, enjoying the breeze and the last of the beer while they waited for Bucky and Sage to get back.

The six friends stayed up fro another hour, talking and teasing each other, before calling it a night. The next morning was spent packing and cleaning up the house. Sage took the first car load back to school, leaving around noon. She had some stuff she actually needed to get done before class the next day. Natasha rode shotgun, with Bucky and Steve in the back. Everyone that stayed behind didn't have morning classes the next day.

On the long drive back, Bucky and Steve both fell asleep, leaving Sage and Natasha to talk quietly or just listen to music. Once back in town, Sage dropped Bucky and Steve off at their house first, then followed Natasha's directions to her apartment.

"Prepare yourself, because I'm going to add you to the group text," Natasha warned Sage, smiling warmly before she moved to get out of the car. Keeping to her promise, Sage got a text not long after she got home from Natasha.

 _'Everyone say hi to Sage'_ Natasha texted the group, opening the floodgates to an almost obnoxious string of texts from unknown numbers.

 _'I'm so sorry, Sage'_

 _'Welcome to Hell,'_

 _'WELCOME TO THE OC BITCH'_

 _'ONE OF US ONE OF US'_

 _'I thought we agreed to not abuse the group text?'_


	10. Young Lady, You're Scaring Me

Holy shit, this is double digits now! This is a nice, lengthy chapter full of introspection and what I think is movement in the right direction. Also, I'm smack-dab in the middle of moving, so the next update will probably be a bit of a wait. Also also, I'm going back and changing all of the chapter titles to songs. It's my MO, I like it. Music is a big influencer for my writing. Most of the chapters are already named for songs anyway.

Shout out to the sweet angels that review.

"Young Lady, You're Scaring Me" by Ron Gallo

* * *

After a shower and eating almost an entire bag of pretzels, Sage forced herself to get some reading done for Phillips. She had lied to Bucky about being mostly ready for class the next day, and worried about completely bombing the in-class essay she had almost forgotten about.

Armed with her textbook, a notebook and pen, and her laptop, Sage set up shop in her favorite chair. She had been reading for several hours by the time Sharon made it home.

Sharon took a shower, made grilled cheese sandwiches for her and Sage, and started a load of laundry before deciding to go to bed. Sage was starting to realize that she was going to be up very late if she wanted to finish her reading and feel confident going into that essay, but she was exhausted. She pushed on as long as she could, but after moving to the sofa to stretch out, Sage fell asleep shortly after.

The preset alarm on Sage's phone woke her up in enough time to actually get dressed and get to class on time. She tried to convince herself that she would be fine, but she was nervous. She was nervous about doing poorly in Phillips' class; it seemed like a difficult course and she didn't want to struggle or fail. She also didn't want Bucky to think she was stupid, even though her actual name wouldn't be attached to any of the work in the class. When he graded, he wouldn't know which essays were belonged to who.

Phillips spent the first forty or so minutes of the class lecturing, giving Sage a bit of a cushion to relax, finish her green juice, and skim over her notes from the reading until Bucky started handing out blue books.

Because she was left-handed, Sage was pretty much forced to always sit at the end of the aisle. Usually she would have preferred to be somewhere in the middle to blend in with the class, but being on the end meant that she got a little bit of face time with Bucky whenever he had to pass anything out.

"Just remember, as much as you think writing this is going to suck, it's going to suck much worse for me to read and grade two hundred of these," Bucky said, hanging a large stack of blue books to Sage to pass down to the rest of her row.

"And I'm sure that maybe only a fourth of the people in here have legible handwriting," Sage smiled up at him. "I'm not one of those people," she laughed. He chuckled and moved on to the next row.

"When you're finished, put your blue books in this box, and you may go," Phillips instructed the class as he opened a new document on the computer screen, which was mirrored on the large projection screen. He typed the essay prompt quickly, then gathered his briefcase and left the room, leaving Bucky alone at the front of the lecture hall. He sat down at the desk and started reading while everyone else in the room started writing, including Sage. She was pretty confident in her ability to hit most of the points she needed to, and by the time she finished, she was fairly confident she'd get at least a solid B.

Sage gathered up her stuff, tucked the writing surface back down against the armrest of her seat, and headed towards the front of the room to drop off her blue book in the designated box. About half of the class had already finished and left.

"How'd it go?" Bucky asked quietly, looking up from his book as Sage approached.

"I stayed up late to finish the reading, but I think it was worth it," she whispered back to him.

"Good. But if I read this and find out that you're secretly stupid, I don't think we can continue to be friends," he teased. Sage smiled and rolled her eyes.

"If that means I'm out of that damn group text, then I'm fine with that," she laughed quietly.

"I know, we're really annoying," he agreed.

"I don't even know who all is talking. I don't have anyone's number saved except Sharon," she complained.

"Here, give me your phone," Bucky held out his hand, and Sage fished her phone out of her back pocket to hand to him. She watched as he opened the dreaded group text and started saving everyone's numbers, labeling each one. While he worked, several students came down to turn in their blue books, and Sage stepped out of the way, standing next to Bucky's chair.

"Here," he handed the phone back to her once she was done. She scrolled through the thread of texts that had already accumulated since she had just been added the night before. Each text was finally identified by a name, which Bucky had embellished with an obnoxious amount of emojis.

"Were these necessary?" Sage asked drily, noting the flexing arm, beer mug, and explosion emojis next to Bucky's name. He grinned up at her in response.

"I gotta go. You and Steve going to the gym later?" Sage asked.

"Yeah, probably. You working the wall?"

"I think so," she answered, kind of dreading going to work later in the day. She was tired from the weekend and staying up late.

They said quiet goodbyes and Sage left the lecture hall, deciding to head home for a quick nap before her next class.

Sage ended up working in the back rooms of the rec, where they happened to be understaffed that day, so she didn't ever see if Bucky or Steve came in. Once home, she tried to get some work done, but ended up going to bed.

For the rest of the week, Sage kept her head down. The pace was really starting to pick up in all of her classes, and she was determined to not only keep up, but to excel. She spent most of her time studying, going to class, or at work. She only ever really saw Sharon in passing, who was also busy with her workload, and sneaking in some time with Steve.

Sage returned home from her classes Friday afternoon to find Sharon on the couch, painting her nails a pretty pewter color.

"Is it just me or do you still feel kind of hungover from last weekend, too?" Sharon mused, looking up at Sage who dropped down into her plaid chair.

"You feel like shit because you went out last night," Sage pointed out.

"Fair point," Sharon smiled. "Steve and I are going to dinner soon."

"Oh my god, that's so cute," Sage gushed, sitting up and leaning forward, eager to pry some details out of her roommate. Sharon rolled her eyes but smiled despite herself. She was probably just as excited as everyone else was.

"We'll probably go out to Pascal's after if you wanna meet up," Sharon offered. "I have some pull now. I can tell Steve to tell Bucky." Sharon glanced up expectantly at Sage, trying to gauge her reaction. After the holiday weekend together, and seeing how Bucky was around Sage, she felt like the two belonged together.

"Oh my god, I'm not tagging along on your date!" Sage refused. She hadn't really seen Bucky since Tuesday, and even then that didn't really count. However, she wasn't going to let Sharon play matchmaker, either.

"Clint and Laura like to go there, so we'll probably see them there anyway. You wouldn't be tagging along," Sharon explained.

"Thanks, but I have shit to do anyway," Sage leaned back in her chair, sinking down into the cushions.

"Like finally putting together that damn dresser?" Sharon looked pointedly towards Sage's bedroom door, which was hiding the mess of dresser pieces still in a heap on the floor.

"If it bothered you so much, you could offer to help," Sage smirked. She really did need to finally assemble the dresser, but it was hard to get motivated enough to really try.

"I'd rather die," Sharon exaggerated.

While Sharon got ready for her date, Sage lounged on her roommate's bed, offering opinions and what little help she could. Sharon was an expert at her hair and makeup, areas that Sage was vastly out of her league.

"Where's he taking you?" Sage asked as Sharon pulled out a dress from closet, about to put it on.

"Thai Lotus," Sharon answered, pausing.

"Don't wear a cocktail dress to a Thai place," Sage told her, sitting up from against Sharon's pillows.

"Why not?" Sharon questioned, examining the smart black dress.

"You wanna look hot, but you don't wanna be out of place," Sage explained, getting up from the bed. Sharon put the dress back and started pulling out other options. While her back was turned, Sage grabbed her phone and texted Bucky.

' _What is Steve wearing?'_

 _'This is a weird sext'_ Bucky replied not even a minute later.

' _He's wearing khakis and a dorky plaid shirt. Currently trying to convince him not to wear a tie.'_ Bucky texted again before Sage could finish her reply. She smiled at the information.

' _Hot!'_ Sage answered the text, then threw her phone onto the bed to stop Sharon from putting on a very similar cocktail dress to the first one.

"Don't you have anymore casual dresses?" Sage questioned, going through Sharon's closet. Sharon was a smart and stylish dresser, if she was going to a business meeting.

"What's wrong with just a plain black dress?" Sharon argued.

"Hold on," Sage commanded, then dashed out of the room to search through her own closet. She came back a second later with a simple slate-blue dress.

"Oh, that's kind of cute," Sharon reached out to feel the material of the dress. "That's soft," she said, surprised.

"You're welcome," Sage answered deviously. She took the dress off of the hanger and handed it to Sharon, who slipped it on over her head. Sage zipped the back for her and stood back as Sharon examined herself in the dress in the full length mirror hanging on the inside of the closet door. The cap sleeves of the dress accentuated Sharon's fantastic arms, but apart from the cinched waist, it was a fairly conservative dress.

"This is a nice dress. Doesn't seem very you," Sharon mused.

"One of my dad's old girlfriends gave it to me and I've never worn it," Sage supplied. Sharon chose not to continue that topic, knowing that her dad's dating habits weren't something Sage really approved of.

"What kind of shoes do I wear with this?" Sharon changed the subject, going back into her bathroom to select some jewelry. Sage went back into Sharon's closet, going through her shoes this time.

Sharon put on a simple gold bracelet and diamond stud earrings. Sage held out a pair of wedged sandals and a navy blue clutch. Overall, Sharon looked simple and classic.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this dress. It's actually pretty perfect," Sharon said, turning and examining herself in the mirror, smoothing out the skirt of the dress.

"Keep it," Sage offered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Sharon smiled brightly at her roommate, then checked her phone for the time. She was running right on time and expected Steve to arrive in ten to fifteen minutes.

Sage reached across the bed and pulled her own phone towards her.

"If you're not going out, what are you going to do?" Sharon asked her roommate, circling back to the topic.

"Probably study," Sage shrugged.

"It's Friday! You're just going to hang around here all night?" Sharon questioned.

"I might go to the library," Sage offered.

"Like that's so much better," Sharon sighed.

"Should I expect you to be back tonight? Or should I disappear for the night in case things go well?" Sage suggested, trying to change the topic from her book-worm plans. Sharon rolled her eyes and groaned.

"That's not going to happen tonight," Sharon warned Sage.

"What if dinner and drinks go well, and you're having such a good time talking, and then someone suggests watching a movie? Huh? We all know how that ends!" Sage defended herself, making Sharon laugh. Everyone knew that "watching a movie" never meant actually watching a movie.

"I'll text you if our plans change, OK?" Sharon offered. She busied herself by putting her wallet, keys, and lip gloss in her clutch, and Sage followed her out to the living room.

"I'm just saying, make sure you're wearing cute underwear," Sage teased. "Hold on, I have something for you," Sage disappeared into her room, rummaging around in her desk drawer. She came back out and handed Sharon a handful of condoms.

"Oh my god," Sharon giggled. "I don't need this many! I don't need any!"

"Fine," Sage took the strip of condoms back, tore off two, and handed them back to Sharon. "Just in case."

The roommates turned to the door at the sound of a loud knock. Sharon hurriedly shoved the condoms into the zippered pocket inside the clutch while Sage opened the door.

"Well hello, sir," Sage greeted a nervous looking Steve. She was glad to see that Bucky was successful in convincing him to ditch the tie.

"Hey, Sage," he replied, stepping into the apartment after Sage. "Hi, Sharon," he said, spotting Sharon in a lovely blue dress. "You ready?"

"Yes! Let's go!" Sharon strode forward to stand beside Steve.

"You going out to Pascal's later?" Steve asked Sage before he and his date headed out the door.

"Nah, I've got some studying to do," Sage answered him, smiling in an effort to show that studying was her preferred activity for the night.

"Well, if you go by the library later, Bucky should be there. He had a ton of grading to do," Steve explained.

"Yeah, maybe. I haven't been yet," Sage said, shrugging. Going to the library might not actually be a bad idea. There would be way less distractions there than at home.

"He usually likes to work in the basement if you do go," Steve supplied, leading Sharon toward the door.

"Y'all have fun, bring me back a spring roll," Sage joked, pushing the new couple out of the door so they'd stop trying to get her out of the apartment.

Once they were gone, Sage changed out of her jeans and into some yoga pants in an effort to get comfortable. She tried to sit down to study, but she found that she couldn't stop thinking about how much better the library would be.

It didn't take long for Sage to make up her mind. She shot out of her seat, crammed her feet into a worn pair of red sneakers, and stuffed everything she might need into her backpack. Before leaving the apartment, she made a stop in the kitchen and grabbed the remainder of the pretzels and a handful of Babybels, then stuffed those into her backpack as well. She grabbed a clean aluminum water bottle from the cabinet and an opened bottle of wine form the fridge. She emptied the wine into the water bottle, sealed it off, and stuck it into the mesh water bottle pocket on the side of her backpack.

Even though it would be dark by the time Sage returned home, she decided to walk to the library. The summer heat was finally starting to break a little, and there was a nice breeze. It took only fifteen minutes for Sage to reach the library, which was nearly empty.

The library was a huge building in the center of campus. It was four floors and a basement. On the ground floor was a large computer lab, reference and help desks, and a café. In the center of the floor directly in front of the entrance, was a large, wide staircase, once side leading up to the second floor, and the other leading down to the basement.

Sage didn't know what to actually expect in the basement, but in her mind the basement of a library would probably be at least a little spooky. Instead, the basement was just one large, open room filled with large work tables on one side, and individual carrels on the other.

There were maybe five people, including Sage, in the entire room. Most of them looked rather young, like freshmen. But in the far corner, with his back to the wall was Bucky, hunched over an intimidating pile of blue books, head in his hands.

Sage navigated the maze of tables and chairs, heading towards Bucky's table. He glanced up briefly at the movement he caught out of his peripheral vision, then did a double take when he realized it was Sage.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he laughed as she approached.

"Steve mentioned you'd be here, and I have a ton of stuff to do," Sage said, shrugging off her backpack and setting it down in the chair directly across from Bucky. "Is it cool if I crash the party?" she asked before she started to get settled.

"Of course," he nodded. The blue books from Phillips' class had pretty much consumed the entire table, so he made an effort to wrangle some of them into some semblance of a neat pile to make room for Sage. As he did that, Sage started pulling out her things. She set a notebook and textbook out on the table, then rummaged around in her bag looking for a highlighter and pencil before sitting down.

Without saying anything else, Sage plugged earbuds into her phone, put them into her ears, and cracked open her book. Bucky took the cue and went back to his grading.

Even though she wasn't really doing anything, Sage was proving to be a bit distracting to Bucky. While she read, she held her pencil and pink highlighter in the same hand. She expertly rolled the highlighter into position when she needed it, and when she needed to write something down in the notebook, she rolled the pencil between her fingers into position. The whole process seemed like second nature to her, like something she had long ago mastered. Every once in a while, she'd reach out for the aluminum water bottle covered in stickers and take a sip.

Bucky finished another essay and added it to the 'done' pile. Before starting on the next one, he leaned back in his chair and stretched. He watched Sage take an absent-minded sip from her bottle, but she spilled a little, leaving a red stain on the page she was reading.

"Is that wine?" he guessed. He hadn't expected that.

"Yeah, want some?" she held the bottle out to him in offering, looking up momentarily from her reading. He smiled and took the bottle, taking a small, testing sip.

"I'll be damned," he muttered, then took a second, larger sip.

"It is Friday night, after all," she smirked.

"Is it ethical for me to watch you grade these papers?" Sage mused, taking the bottle back and taking another sip of the wine.

"Probably no more ethical than me drinking while doing it," Bucky shrugged. "Besides, I think I already graded yours, so I think we're safe."

"How do you know it was mine?" Sage asked curiously. She knew bucky didn't know her student ID number, or even what her handwriting looked like.

"I graded one the other day that talked about Degenerate Art," Bucky started. "Almost all of these touch on propaganda, like movies and posters. Only one talked about art and culture," he explained. Sage smiled guiltily.

"Yeah, well, I am the art history nerd," she said, grinning.

"I had to look it up," Bucky admitted, smirking.

"Glad I could teach you something," Sage winked, then turned back to her reading. Bucky watched her for a bit longer, and could tell that she was having trouble concentrating. She was rolling her pencil and highlighter together in her hand as she stared down at her book, but never moved to write any notes or highlight anything. The whole time that they had been working together, she almost constantly did one of the two.

"You wanna know your grade, don't you," Bucky guessed, smirking at the surprised look on her face as she looked up at him.

"Maybe," she winced sheepishly, turning Bucky's smirk into a wolfish grin. "But you shouldn't tell me, right?"

"Probably not," he answered honestly. Sage nodded and looked back down at her book.

Sage looked back up at him, and it seemed like she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth and looked back down.

"Do you want a snack?" she finally asked. Bucky hadn't expected the change in subject. She bent over to shuffle around in her backpack before he could answer, and pulled out a rolled and clipped bag of pretzels and several little balls of red wax.

"You brought wine and cheese to the library?" he teased. "You gonna light some candles, too?"

"Yeah, I thought I'd play a little John Legend and slip into something more comfortable, too," Sage exaggeratedly winked as she passed a cheese wheel to Bucky and opened the bag of pretzels.

"Guess Steve's not the only one getting lucky tonight," Bucky chuckled as he unwrapped the red wax from the Babybel.

After the brief break, Sage and Bucky got back to work. Time ticked away, and soon they were the only ones left on the entire floor. Finally, a little after one in the morning, Sage leaned back and stretched, yawning loudly. Bucky looked up, bleary eyed and slump-shouldered.

"I think this is the most time I've ever spent in the library at once," he muttered, trying not to catch Sage's yawn.

"Are you at least almost done?" she asked him, rubbing at her tired eyes.

"Yeah, there's probably ten more," he estimated, shuffling the piles of blue books into some sort of order. "You finish whatever you're doing?"

"Research and iconological analysis for this paper," Sage supplied, purposefully keeping the description vague. She doubted Bucky knew much about art history, or even cared.

"I'm sorry, what?" he laughed at the mouthful of words. Not that he doubted Sage was intelligent, but he had never really heard her use academic jargon before. Words like 'analysis' seemed foreign coming out of her mouth.

"Basically I'm looking at the symbolism and meaning throughout a series of Neoclassical paintings and writing a paper on it," Sage tried to explain briefly. Bucky nodded slowly. He thought he understood, but he knew that if anyone asked him, he wouldn't be able to repeat anything she had just explained. "It's some real nerdy shit."

"I know next to nothing about art, except Manet and Monet were different people," Bucky joked, bringing a wide grin to Sage's face.

"Well, that's better than most people," Sage shrugged. They both wordlessly agreed that they were done and started packing up their things.

"Did you walk here?" Bucky asked as she stuffed all of the blue books into his backpack.

"Yeah, it's not that far," Sage answered.

"I'll drive you home," he replied. It wasn't even an offer; he was going to drive her home. Sage smiled at him, then finished putting the rest of her belongings in her bag and stood up from her chair. She followed him up the stairs, through the deserted lobby, and out into the warm night.

"I love being on campus late at night when it's all empty," Sage remarked as they walked down the path towards the parking lot.

"It's kind of weird seeing it empty. Like being on campus during winter break," Bucky agreed. They reached Bucky's black Jeep, and he had to unlock her door from the inside.

"OK, I know it's out of the way, but I would love nothing more than some hot, salty French fries. I'll buy," Sage twisted in her seat to directly face Bucky as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road leading through campus. He laughed at her suggestion, but had to admit that it did sound pretty good.

"There's a McDonald's on the other side of campus," he told her, returning her grin.

"You just made my night!" she cheered. The roads were empty and all of the traffic lights had switched to flash yellow, making the trip to McDonald's quick.

"Just the fries?" he confirmed before pulling up all the way to the speaker box of the drive-thru, rolling down his window. Once the car came to a stop, and the window attendant asked for their order, Sage leaned over the center console, pushed Bucky back into his seat, and leaned across his lap and out of the open window.

"Two large fries and two vanilla cones, please," she ordered. She settled back into her seat for Bucky to pull up to the window, and handed him cash to pay.

Normally the violation of personal space would have been uncomfortable, and Bucky fully expected to feel that way, but he found that it actually didn't bother him as much as he expected.

After waiting for the car in front of them to pull away, Bucky pulled up to the last window, and passed the bag of fries and the first ice cream cone to Sage.

"My absolute most favorite kind of ice cream is cheap, fast food soft-serve," Sage said, taking a large bite of the ice cream. She then reached into the bag, pulled out one of the cartons of fries and put it in the cup holder for Bucky to access, then reached back into the bag and pulled out a large handful of fries.

"Really? You're an easy girl to please," he teased.

"No frills, baby," she laughed, continuing work on her ice cream. Bucky pulled over in an empty parking lot on the outskirts of campus so that he wouldn't have to attempt to eat an ice cream cone while driving. Sage finished her cone in mere minutes, then focused her attention on the fries.

"You were right, this is pretty good," Bucky confessed, stuffing a few fries into his mouth.

"You know, when I first met you," Sage started around a mouthful of fries, then swallowed and continued, "I thought you were kind of a jerk." Bucky chuckled.

"Do you still think that?" he asked.

"Only when you put me in a headlock," she teased, grinning at him.

"Are you busy tomorrow?" he asked, out of the blue to Sage and himself. He wasn't planning on asking her out, at least not any time soon, and he wasn't even sure if that's what he was doing.

"I have work in the morning, then I'm meeting this girl I met in my philosophy class to work on our papers a bit, then I'll probably finish assembling this dresser that I bought or die trying," Sage answered as coolly as she could. She didn't know why he was asking, or how in-depth an answer he wanted. He asked a pretty vague question, and Sage probably gave him more information than he needed.

"A dresser?" he questioned.

"I bought it a couple of weeks ago and it's been sitting in pieces in the corner of my room, mocking me," she explained.

"It's been mocking you?" he laughed.

"Normally I'm pretty handy, but the directions only have pictures, no words! And there are so many pieces," she lamented, trying to explain the plight of the dresser in question.

"Do you need help?" he asked.

"Are you offering?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't mind," he shrugged. Her face immediately lit up.

"I'll buy you all the beer and pizza you want! I'll erect a statue of you in the town square!" Sage exclaimed, laughing.

"Well, shit, how can I say no now?" he laughed with her. Bucky didn't know where he was going with asking Sage if she was free, and he didn't have any expectations. He probably would have guessed that they'd go to any one of the bars, where they probably would have run into at least one of their friends, and it would have turned into a group thing. He could do group things, or at least small groups. There were very few people that Bucky could easily and comfortably spend a measurable amount of time with alone. He also didn't fare very well in large groups. Really, he did best in small groups where he could easily participate, without being the center of attention.

Now that he had made concrete, deliberate plans to hang out with Sage, he was freaking out inside. He actually felt _anxious_. Of course he liked Sage, he enjoyed her company. But he hadn't been out with a girl in a long ass time, and hadn't had a girlfriend in an even longer time. Back in his _youth_ (was he even old enough to say that yet?), he had been a charming lady-killer. He always had a date for school dances, hardly ever spent weekend nights alone, and had a pretty hefty contact list of phone numbers.

Of course, a lot had changed since those days. You don't serve two tours of duty, go missing in action for an extended period of time, and suffer a career-ending injury and _not_ change.

As he drove Sage home, Bucky tried to talk himself down from the proverbial ledge. He had a gut feeling that he could trust her; everyone else already seemed to. And if Sharon and Natasha trusted her, then surely Sage was trustworthy. Every so often, he glanced out of the corner of his eye to watch her happily and quietly finishing her fries and gazing out of the window at the dark and quiet houses they were passing by.

He pulled up to the curb outside of her building, she promised to text him the next day, and he watched her until she got inside the building safely.

On his way home, Bucky decided that he was being stupid, that his anxieties were baseless, and that it was about damn time that he stopped being so scared. He had done almost a complete one-eighty, since being carefree and devil-may-care in his teens and early twenties. His comfort zone had drastically shrunk to what felt like the size of a pinhead. And damnit, he was ready to expand that fucking comfort zone.


	11. It Ain't Right

I'm finally done with my move, and finally had some time to sit down and crank this out. Two new characters are introduced here! I'm planning to include almost all of the main characters at some point, in some capacity. Thanks so much to everyone reading/reviewing/etc!

"It Ain't Right" by Current Swell

* * *

Sage made it home with just barely enough time to shower and change into real clothes after work. It had been a bit of a slow morning at the rec center, especially on the wall. At the end of her shift, Clint let Sage go for a quick climb, belaying for her. Then she practically ran home, having lost track of time.

After her quick shower, Sage tugged on a clean pair of her least holey skinny jeans and an old, faded navy blue oxford. The shirt was so worn and soft, it was almost as good as just a tshirt. Sage haphazardly rolled the sleeves while trying to cram her feet into her shoes without having to bend over. While through her desk for everything she'd need for her philosophy paper, Sage heard the front door open and close, and the sound of at least two voices, one for sure being Sharon.

Once Sage had her backpack in order, she slung it over her shoulder and left her room. Sharon and a friend of her's that Sage had never met, stood in the kitchen.

"Hey! Sage!" Sharon greeted her roommate. The other girl stood quietly and poised next to Sharon, wearing a polite smile.

"Hi," Sage replied, waving to her roommate and the stranger.

"Are you going somewhere? Maria and I were about to go get some lunch if you want to join us," Sharon explained.

"I'm Maria," the girl leaned across the kitchen island, holding out her hand. Sage reached out and took it, shaking it once, and noting Maria's very firm handshake.

"I'm actually about to go meet a girl I met in my philosophy class. We're gonna work on our papers," Sage said, grateful that she had a legitimate excuse to not tag along. Not that she wasn't too good or above, tagging along and being the third wheel. She was grateful that Sharon was kind enough to help Sage feel comfortable and welcome in a new school and town, but she didn't want all of her friends to be Sharon's friends.

"Oh, good!" Sharon replied excitedly, glad that her roommate seemed to be settling into the new setting fairly well. Sharon was half afraid that Sage wouldn't settle into her new life. She knew how unhappy Sage was, and how much she struggled at her last school. Sharon knew she had a controlling streak, and sometimes she wondered if maybe she was trying to control too much of Sage's experience. However,

"Well, hey, there's a SigEp party tonight, if you want to go with us," Maria, offered, turning to Sage. At the mention of the fraternity, Sage assumed that Maria was a friend from when Sharon was still in a sorority. Sharon tried not to laugh at the suggestion. She knew Sage wouldn't agree to go to a Greek party.

"I actually have plans tonight, but thanks," Sage replied smugly.

"Wow, aren't you the social butterfly," Sharon teased, though she was impressed.

"Relax," Sage laughed, "Bucky's just coming over to help build that piece of shit dresser," Sage explained.

"You mean Steve's friend, Bucky?" Maria asked, while Sharon smirked proudly.

"Yeah," Sage nodded. "Quit getting your hopes up!" Sage pointed an accusing finger at Sharon, then moved for the door. "I'll see y'all later."

Sage knew that Sharon would blow her evening plans out of proportion, and assign some grand romantic meaning to them. The only expectation Sage had for the evening was to sit on the floor of her bedroom, drinking beer and eating pizza, while watching Bucky attempt to assemble her dresser, and maybe sometimes handing him a tool or part. And that was only if he was still on for the plan, anyway.

To save some time, Sage drove to the library to meet her friend from class, Wanda. Being a Saturday afternoon, and the semester still being relatively young, she was pretty confident that she'd be able to find a close parking spot with little difficulty. Then, when she was done with Wanda, she could run to the liquor store and pick up a case of beer. The grocery stores in town only carried the usuals like Budweiser and Miller, but Sage was thirsty for Texas brews.

Sage regrettably took the stairs up to the fourth floor of the library, where she and Wanda had agreed to meet. Four hadn't seemed like a lot of flights of stairs to climb, and there was already a group of kids waiting for the elevator, so Sage thought the stairs would be quicker.

She was a bit out of breath and feeling hot when she made it to the fourth floor. There was a small common area with an empty reference desk, and the rest of the floor was obscured by rows and rows of books. Spinning slowly on her heel to survey what she could see, Sage realized she had no idea where to find Wanda, if she was even there yet. They agreed on 2PM, and it was five after. Sage was about to start wandering the stacks when the elevator doors opened behind her with a soft _ping_. Out of habit, Sage turned her eyes to the elevators and was relieved to see Wanda step out, smiling warmly as she hitched her messenger bag further up her shoulder.

Wanda was a relatively quiet girl, and Sage hadn't originally thought much of her when she sat in the desk behind her the first day of their philosophy class. Sage appreciated her style, including her commitment to knee-high boots while it was still technically summer. And then Wanda started participating in class discussions. She was incredibly smart, and had a very deadpan sense of humor, plus the coolest accent Sage had ever heard. After siding with each other on a few discussions turned debates, they formed a mutual appreciation for the other. Small talk before and after class turned into real conversations, then phone numbers were exchanged in case either one missed class and needed notes, and then Wanda asked if Sage wanted to study together. Sage was already counting Wanda as a friend.

"Glad to see you didn't get lost," Wanda greeted her, leading Sage to the right of the elevators.

"I managed to survive," Sage joked, following Wanda past shelving full of books to another common area, furnished with several large worktables and a few clusters of armchairs.

"Function or comfort?" Wanda asked, turning to Sage to pick where they sat.

"What the hell, it's the weekend. Comfort," Sage answered, heading straight for the closest cluster of armchairs.

Neither one of them really needed help with their papers. They spent a short time talking about their topics, which quickly dissolved into gossip about people in their class, and how Wanda had seen their professor buying tubs of chocolate frosting at the grocery store a week ago.

Wanda already had most of her research pulled together and worked on annotating and creating an outline. Sage was way less prepared, and still had quite a bit of research to do. Most of her afternoon was spent searching through online academic archives and bookmarking promising looking articles. Sage found that finding decent source material was the hardest part. She was an efficient reader, and a good writer. She actually rather enjoyed research papers because of that.

Time kind of flew, and before she knew it, it was almost five. Wanda had to get going, and quickly packed up her things.

"Have you ever been to Sushi Café?" Wanda asked as she zipped up her messenger bag.

"No! My roommate has told me about it, though," Sage answered.

"They have a really good lunch special," Wanda said, "we should go before class sometime." Sage could tell that putting herself out there and making the suggestion was a big effort for Wanda. Sage smiled brightly, though, happy to make a new connection.

"Totally! Sushi actually sounds really good," Sage gushed. "Can we go Tuesday?" Wanda returned her smile, they confirmed their sushi date, and then she was gone, leaving Sage alone.

On her way out, Sage took the elevator this time. Once at her car, she put her backpack in the floorboard of the backseat, and pulled out her wallet and phone. She climbed into the front seat and started the car to get the air conditioning going while she checked her phone for any messages, and to send one to Bucky.

' _Done at the library. Come over anytime after six. #212'_ She figured that would give her enough time to run to the liquor store and make sure she didn't have any dirty underwear on the bathroom floor.

Sage ran to the liquor store, leaving her phone in her car. She already knew exactly what she wanted and didn't anticipate being inside for very long, so she left her phone in the car. Inside, she picked up a six-pack of Karbach IPA and a six-pack of Rahr and Sons blonde lager, both two of her favorite Texas beers.

Once back in the car she checked her phone, expecting some sort of confirmation from Bucky, but she had no new messages.

At home, Sage tore through the apartment, thankful that Sharon wasn't home so that she could surface clean without judgment. She threw all of the dirty dishes in the sink into the dishwasher, swept all of the makeup and hair accessories on the bathroom counter into an open drawer, pulled the shower curtain tightly closed to conceal how messy the bathtub was, and haphazardly made her bed. After all that, still no new messages, and it was five till six.

Sage sat on the edge of her bed and sighed dramatically. ' _Typical dudes_ ,' she thought.

Grabbing her laptop and a still kind of warm beer from the fridge, Sage settled into the sofa. She made sure the volume was up on her phone so that she'd hear any notifications, and set it face up on the cushion next to her so she could see it, too.

While idly surfing the Internet, Sage found herself glancing down at her phone every few minutes. She sighed again.

' _Are we still on? I'm ordering pizza soon'_ Sage texted him again, hoping that a new notification might grab his attention, just in case he missed the first text from almost two hours ago. She ordered an extra large pizza, half peperoni and half what she liked, just in case his tastes didn't align with hers.

Before she knew it, the pizza arrived and she still hadn't heard from Bucky. She started to get worried and tried to call him, but the call went straight to voicemail, meaning his phone was off. Sage swore in frustration, and started on the pizza and grabbed a fresh beer.

She didn't bother leaving a voicemail. The fact that his phone was off pissed her off enough to not want to leave one. After devouring her first slice, Sage stripped off her jeans and changed into comfortable pajama shorts.

By 8:30, Sage was three beers deep and full on pizza and determination. She sat down on her bedroom floor, phone sitting next to her, and hunkered down to work on assembling the dresser by herself.

A little after 9, Sage decided to send Bucky another text, just in case.

' _Don't worry if something came up, I think I can get this done without you.'_

Sage couldn't decide if she was too harsh, or not harsh enough. The text was a little passive aggressive, but she thought he deserved it, at least a little bit. She was annoyed that _he_ asked her to hang out and agreed to their plan, and then completely disappeared. She was also a little worried. Bucky didn't seem like the flaky type; she doubted that he forgot, and she wondered if something unexpected came up.

Focusing all of her energy into the dresser, Sage actually got into a good groove. Now that Bucky had officially flaked, she was determined to prove that she didn't need his, or anyone's, help. By 10 PM, she was completely done. She struggled to push it into place under the window, then took her time deciding which drawers would hold what.

To celebrate the completion, Sage grabbed another beer from the fridge and sat down to watch a movie. She looked at her phone for the first time in almost an hour, half expecting some sort of apology text from Bucky at the least, but found no new notifications.

Sage settled on _Kate & Leopold_. During the butter commercial scene, a soft _ding_ grabbed Sage's attention. She scrambled for her phone, surprised by her own eagerness, and even more surprised by the disappointed feeling at seeing a text form Sharon, and not Bucky.

' _Spending the night with Maria. I'll be home sometime tomorrow afternoon!'_

Sage rolled her eyes and texted back a quick response. As soon as the movie was over, Sage went to bed. She tossed and turned for a while, realizing that she was more upset and affected than she would have expected.

On one hand, she and Bucky hadn't known each other for all that long. He didn't owe her much of anything. She was the low man on the totem pole, compared to all of his other friends. She also didn't have the full story, or any of it really. Maybe something happened that she didn't know about. She couldn't help but create a laundry list of possible scenarios, each one worse than the last.

And on the other hand, it was just plain rude. Even if something had happened, he could have at least texted her. If he was dead in a ditch somewhere, _someone_ would have texted her about it. Probably. Or someone would have texted Sharon about it, who would then text her about it. The point, though, was that Bucky completely bailing was rude.

An annoying ringing sound woke Sage up, but she struggled to regain her mental faculties. It took her a long time to realize that her phone was making the ringing noise. It was daylight, meaning that Sage _did_ finally find sleep. She was groggy and grumpy, and croaked out an angry ' _fuck'_ when she knocked her phone off of the nightstand and under her bed.

It finally stopped ringing, and she rolled over, dangling over the side of the bed as she blindly felt around for it. She slid it out, flipped it over, and swore again at the notification for a missed call from Bucky, and that it was just past ten.

In frustration, Sage slid her phone back under her bed. She didn't want to call Bucky back. She rolled fully out of bed and started towards the bathroom, but a knock at the door stopped her in her tracks.

Sage wasn't expecting anyone, and she started to think that maybe Sharon was home and lost her keys. She changed her course to the front door, and swore for the third time when she looked through the peephole to see Bucky.

"I heard that," he called through the door.

Since there was no way she could just go back to bed and pretend like nobody was home, she opened the door and wordlessly fixed him with a dirty, withering glare. He held out a box of donuts in offering.

"I'm a rat," he said sheepishly.

"A big fat, greasy rat with cheese," Sage agreed, crossing her arms and leaning against the door jam. She wasn't going to let him in and charm is way out of his indiscretion.

Being a Texan, Sage was rough and tumble. She could traipse through the mud and shoot a gun. But she was also Southern, and that meant a certain regard for courtesy and decorum. Basically she was into manners. And ghosting someone when there were plans was rude.

Bucky wordlessly opened the top of the box to reveal a variety of donuts, and a few kolaches, which were worth more than gold to Sage. But she held her ground.

She stared down at the contents of the box, then stared back up at Bucky, waiting for him to say some more.

"I'm sorry I disappeared last night," he finally said. Sage wasn't going to even think about letting him off the hook until he actually said those words.

"I'm glad you're not dead," she finally said, though from her tone of voice, Bucky could tell she was anything but glad.

"Something came up yesterday, and I know it's a shit excuse, but I brought you breakfast, and I'll build your dresser, and any other piece of furniture you want," he explained.

"I finished it last night," Sage told him. She took the donut box from Bucky. His face fell, and she could see the tension in his shoulders drop.

"I'll make it up to you," he promised. Sage sighed.

"It's OK," she shrugged. "Look, I've got work in a little while and I need to get ready, so I'll see you in class on Tuesday?"

"Yeah," he stared. "Promise I'll actually show up," he tried to joke. Sage half-heartedly smiled, but it was pretty obvious to Bucky that she was still pretty hurt. They said a quick goodbye, and Sage locked the door, dumped the box of donuts and kolaches on the kitchen island, and went back to her room. She lied to him when she told him she needed to get ready for work. She had the day off, but now that she was thinking about it, going to the rec center seemed like a good idea. She could stand to work off some frustration on the climbing wall.

Sage was grateful that Clint also had the day off, and that she didn't have to see him. She knew she wasn't hiding her bad mood well, and she didn't want him bothering her about it.

Even though she climbed the wall the day before, Sage followed a different route to keep her mind focused on the activity, instead of how shitty she felt. Whenever she reached the top of a climbing wall, she liked to take a minute to enjoy the view. While looking out over the gym floor, Sage was pretty sure she could see Steve and Sam walking towards the basketball courts. On her descent, she briefly considered going over to say hi, but decided against it. Spending the rest of the day alone, not talking to anyone, was pretty appealing.

As soon as she was home and showered, she sealed herself away in her room, loudly listening to the best of Johnny Cash.

Sharon came home to a dark apartment and the sound of "Aint No Grave", and she knew to leave Sage the fuck alone. She thought maybe she'd catch a glimpse of her roommate later in the day, but the music finally stopped playing around 9, and Sage's room went dark. Sharon didn't see her until the following night.

"So I had lunch with Steve today," Sharon announced, sitting down on the sofa next to Sage with a fresh bowl of popcorn. Sage had her feet propped up on the coffee table, painting her toenails a lemon yellow.

"Are you guys like, official now?" Sage asked, laughing at the idea of Sharon and Steve having "the talk."

"I mean, we haven't fully discussed it yet," Sharon shrugged. "Anyway, he told me about what happened Saturday night," she segued.

"What happened?" Sage asked, not catching where Sharon was going.

"With Bucky," she clarified, and paused, waiting to see Sage's reaction before going on. She wasn't sure how much Sage knew, if she knew anything.

"Oh," was all Sage uttered. She didn't really care to hear Steve's excuses, or Sharon's take on it. There wasn't much to interpret, as far as she was concerned. After thinking about it all day Sunday, Sage decided not to think about it anymore. The fact of the matter was that she and Bucky really weren't as good of friends as she thought.

"Were you mean to him?" Sharon finally asked. Steve had told her how Bucky came over the next day to apologize, and that while she didn't slam the door in his face or curse him out, it still hadn't exactly gone well. And he felt like shit for it.

Sage looked up and fixed Sharon with an exasperated stare.

"I'm just asking because I know how you get! And I think you should cut him some slack," Sharon defended Bucky. Sage sighed, and went back to painting her nails.

"Fine, I will. I'm just mad because I feel like an idiot," Sage admitted.

"You do?" Sharon urged her on.

"Yeah, like I guess we were on different pages. I kind of thought he was- I thought- I don't know," Sage's shoulders slumped and she dropped her forehead to rest on her knee. She didn't know what she thought.

Well, she knew, but she didn't want to admit to Sharon that she thought that maybe Bucky was into her and something was going to happen, and her feelings and ego were wounded. Sage didn't need to express any of that, though, because Sharon caught on pretty quick.

"I can tell he's obsessed with you, he's just not good at this stuff. I haven't known him _that_ long, but for as long as I've known him, he's never dated or had a girlfriend. At least not that I've heard about," Sharon explained. "Plus he's got a lot of shit he's going through. I don't know how much he's told you."

"Like how he was in the Army? That's literally all I know," Sage supplied. Bucky wasn't the first military guy she knew. Her first semi-serious college boyfriend had been an ex-Marine, and he had a whole truckload of baggage. So she could guess what Sharon was getting at.

"From what I understand, he's gotten a lot better, but that kind of stuff takes a while to shake off, you know?" Sharon said.

"I get it," Sage replied. She really did. Sharon finally dropped the topic, and moved on to telling Sage about the frat party she missed.

She didn't know why, but the next day in class, Sage sat in the very last row of the lecture hall, behind a group of girls to blend in with. She paid extra attention to Professor Phillips' lecture and took better notes than usual. At the end of class, Phillips and Bucky started returning the graded essays. They had the essays divided into different sections, based on numerical order. All of the students got up at once and mobbed the front of the lecture hall to find their designated pile of essays, then stood in line to go through them.

Standing behind the desk, Bucky tried to pick Sage's face out of the crowd. He didn't know her student ID number, so he didn't know what pile of blue books she'd be lined up in front of. The crowd slowly trickled out of the room until nobody was left. There were a few unclaimed blue books left by absent students.

Bucky had fooled himself into thinking he was forgiven and that she wasn't really that mad, that moving past his complete screw up would be a lot easier. But he had a feeling that him not even seeing a glimpse of her was a sign. He tried not to read too much into it, he really did, but he also had a feeling that it wouldn't be so easy to go back to how things were before he had a near complete mental breakdown and blew off the girl he was too scared to admit he really liked.

He felt even heavier than he already did as he gathered the unclaimed blue books and left the lecture hall. Sage was already across campus, on her way to meet Wanda for their sushi date.


	12. Mountain To Move

Howdy, y'all! Some lovely conversations take place in this chapter, plus some team bonding and one-on-one time. Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, alerting, etc. I have a lot of fun writing this, and it warms my cold little grinch heart that people even read this.

"Mountain To Move" by Nick Mulvey

* * *

Sage really didn't plan on the cold shoulder treatment. She'd played that card before, and it almost never worked out for her. She had a nasty streak that she was in denial about, until she realized that it had been almost three weeks since she last spoke to Bucky, since he brought her apology donuts.

It was almost October, and it seemed like midterms were right around the corner. Sage was blessedly in a relatively calm part of the semester. She had just turned in a slew of massive projects and papers, and survived a couple more of Phillip's in-class essays. She was enjoying the calm before the storm of midterms. Sharon, on the other hand, had a full plate. And she desperately needed to let out some steam.

Sage found herself out at one of the more popular bars close to campus with Sharon, Maria, and Natasha. They were letting loose, taking shots, and giggling more than talking. It was one of those nights, where at least one of them would fall asleep on the bathroom floor.

"You have got to stop it with the buttery nipples!" Sage scolded Sharon, red faced and smiling broadly. "I'm not brushing vomit out of your hair again!"

"Oh please, that was four years ago! Let it go!" Sharon yelled back, just as red in the face. They were, without a doubt, drunk. Natasha laughed as Sharon and Sage yelled at each other, then Maria returned to their picnic table on the crowded patio with two shots in each hand.

"You're not helping!" Sage pointed an accusing finger at Maria as she yelled at her. Maria laughed, but passed the shots out anyway. She wasn't nearly as drunk as Sage and Sharon, but she definitely wasn't fit to drive any motor vehicles. Natasha tossed back her shot before anyone could even reach for theirs. She had the highest tolerance of the four, and she knew she'd be the one to corral everyone at the end of the night, making sure they all got back from the bar in one piece. She was thankful that they didn't have far to go, at least. The plan was to all crash back at Sharon's and Sage's apartment after their night out, since they lived the closest to the bar.

Maria took her shot next, then Sharon and Sage tried to clink their shot glasses together, but laughed as they missed.

"Perfect timing," Natasha chuckled to herself, spotting a few familiar faces in the crowd. "You're boyfriend's here," she nudged Sharon and pointed towards the entrance. Everyone turned to see Steve, Bucky, and Sam getting their ID's checked and making their way through the crowd.

"Steve!" Sharon shot up from her seat and shouted over the noise. He looked around the patio, looking for whoever called his name, until he spotted Sharon standing on her tip-toes and waving enthusiastically. He turned to Bucky to tell him something, then broke off from his friends to make his way to his girlfriend.

"Hey, guys," he smiled at the group, then leaned down to kiss Sharon quickly. "How long have you guys been here?" he asked, eyeing the collection of empty shot glasses and cups on the table, then noticing all of the red faces.

"Let's just say that nobody at this table will be productive tomorrow," Natasha answered him. Sharon shot her a quick glare, then pushed Sage down the bench to make room for Steve to sit. She pulled him down next to her.

While Sharon and Steve got caught up in each other, the rest of the girls fell into conversation with each other. Sage originally thought that Maria was kind of stuffy. She had some big important leadership position in her sorority that Sage didn't really understand, and she was always so poised, with smooth shiny hair always expertly pulled back, and clothes always perfectly ironed. But tonight, Maria literally let her hair down, her lipstick had long since worn off, and her cheeks were red while she laughed hysterically with Natasha and Sage.

Sage had already decided that she worshipped Natasha. She was sexy and confident, what wasn't to love? They both shared a dry sense of humor, and whenever someone at a nearby table did something stupid, or some idiot frat guy tried talking to them, Natasha would give Sage a knowing smirk and subtle roll of the eyes, like they were secretly communicating their shared annoyance.

While laughing about some guy's stupid tshirt, Sam and Bucky approached the table with drinks in hand. Bucky handed a beer off to Steve while Sam pulled up two chairs to the table and sat down.

"Sorry to crash the girls night," Sam chuckled, addressing Sage, Natasha, and Maria. All the girls agreed that they didn't mind. They had been out drinking together since seven, and they welcomed the turn of events. Bucky and Sage caught each other's eyes, and they smiled at each other awkwardly, then Sage broke the eye contact to take a long sip of her Jack and Dr. Pepper.

It was no secret to the group that whatever momentum Sage and Bucky seemed to have, came to a screeching halt the week after Labor Day. Sharon was pretty confident in guessing that this was the first time they had actually, truly seen each other since then, not counting from across lecture halls.

Through relayed information from Steve, filtered through Sharon, Sage finally found out why Bucky stood her up. When Sharon eventually told her about a PTSD related anxiety attack that thoroughly wrecked him, Sage didn't know what to think. Or rather, she didn't know what thought to focus on. She had a lot of different thoughts.

Firstly, she was confused. Bucky didn't seem like the kind to suffer from anxiety. But she didn't know him that well, or for that long. Whenever she was around him, he always seemed so OK. The reason didn't quite match up with the version of Bucky she had in her mind.

Second, she felt for him. She really, truly felt bad for him. Her heart felt heavy at the very thought of his suffering. She literally couldn't imagine what he'd been through to create such problems for him, and she didn't know what she could do to help. She wasn't trained, and her last experience had been horrendous. The ex-Marine ex-boyfriend was probably her worst relationship. While Bucky was nothing like that guy, as far as Sage could tell, she still felt a self-imposed dread that history was about to repeat itself if she didn't pay attention to the warning signs this time.

The ex-Marine was outgoing, charming, the life of the party. He made friends wherever he went, and it didn't take him much effort to draw Sage in. But past the surface, he was controlling, easy to anger, and in deep denial about a serious drinking problem. The relationship didn't last longer than five months, but it did enough damage to have Sage overly cautious. She had only been 20 at the time, while he was 25. He was actually her first serious relationship, and she was so naïve about the whole thing. It took her too long to realize how awful everything about it really was.

"I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," Bucky finally mustered up the courage to address Sage. He smiled nicely, trying to hide how anxious he felt. He wasn't stupid, he knew things had significantly changed between them, and the changes were completely his fault.

Sage turned to face him and returned his smile. "It hasn't been that long," she finally said, a bit sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders lightly and white-knuckling her sweating drink.

"Feels like it," he disagreed quietly. Things were almost as awkward as he feared they would be, so he took a large gulp of his whiskey neat.

There were far too many people crowded around the small picnic table, so it was hard for Sage and Bucky to not bump knees or knock elbows against each other. Eventually, Sharon and Maria went to go stand in line for the bathroom together, while Sam spotted a few of his friends and left to go say hey, leaving Steve, Sage, Bucky, and Natasha.

"When's the last time we all got together like this?" Natasha asked the group, sliding down the bench until she was hip to hip with Sage.

"Labor Day," Steve answered smartly. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, it's been a while," she continued on. "There's a lot of catching up to do," she said pointedly, while forcefully knocking her knee against Sage's under the table. Sage swatted Natasha's leg away.

Natasha's attempt at forcing some sort of resolution failed, and soon everyone wandered back to the table.

"Do you guys wanna go play ping pong? There's an open table," Sharon pointed to the other end of the patio, where one out of the three ping pong tables was unoccupied. Everyone more or less agreed to relocate, and as they all stood up and headed over, Bucky gently caught Sage's elbow.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked, pulling her back from the group. She nodded and they both sat back down. Bucky waited until everyone was gone form the table before speaking, but Sage beat him to the punch.

"I'm sorry I've been a stubborn bitch," she said before he could even decide what he wanted to say. He'd known this whole time that he needed to talk to her, to explain to her what happened, but he never quite worked out how to do it. He didn't even really plan on doing it then, but he saw the opportunity and he took it.

"You haven't been a bitch," he chuckled. He was caught off guard by her apology. In his eyes, she didn't have anything to apologize for. He was fully aware that she was giving him the cold shoulder and pulling back because he without warning or explanation stood her up. He thought he kind of deserved it.

"Well, I could have been nicer," Sage compromised.

"I'm sorry about what happened," he started. "I'm sorry about bailing on you. You didn't deserve it, and I feel so bad about it."

"Dude," she started. Bucky had never heard her call him or anyone dude before. "I get it. Well, like I don't _get it_ , but it's cool." Sage thought she was going to sound a lot more coherent than she did. The alcohol mixed with the uncomfortable and unexpected conversation had her all mixed up. "Sharon told me what Steve told her about what happened with you, and I get it," she tried to clarify.

"What did they tell you?" he cautiously asked, partly because he wasn't sure that he even followed that, but mostly because he was afraid to find out the answer.

Sage let go of her glass, wiped the condensation off of her hand on her pant leg, then gently placed it on Bucky's arm, just above his wrist. She squeezed gently. "Just the basics."

"So we're OK?" he asked slowly. She grinned, and slid her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

"I was mad as hell at ya, but it's fine. We're fine," she patted his shoulder. "We're fine," she repeated, and Bucky realized that she was probably a lot drunker than he initially realized. Her accent was thick and she was still patting his shoulder with that happy grin on her face.

"You're so drunk," he laughed. Sage smacked his shoulder and pulled her hand away to cross her arms tightly over her chest.

"Am not!" she pouted.

"Sage," he admonished. She rolled her eyes.

"So what! I'm drunk as a skunk" she threw her hands up, as if he forced her to admit something that wasn't already super obvious.

"Come on, ya lousy drunk," Bucky stood up, and pulled Sage up with him.

"OK, but I have to go to the bathroom," she told him. She carefully maneuvered herself around the bench. She hadn't stood up in a long time, and now she was really realizing just how drunk she was. "Wanna stand in line with me?" she turned and asked him. She didn't really expect him to agree, but she didn't want to stand in the very long bathroom line alone. He shrugged and agreed, and followed her inside the noisy bar. The bathroom line was about 15 girls deep, and he felt like he was starting to understand why girls always went in groups. It was to keep each other company while they waited in ridiculous lines.

"So what have you been up to?" Sage asked, crossing her arms and turning to face Bucky once they were in line. He shrugged and took a sip of his drink while he thought.

"Not much besides school. Phillips keeps me busy," he answered.

"Are you… OK now?" she asked after a moment of thought. "I mean, are you feeling better?" She really did feel concern for Bucky and what he was going through, for whatever demons were haunting him. But she didn't want to overstep any boundaries, or make him feel embarrassed.

"I'm fine," he answered, smiling down at her reassuringly. It wasn't completely true, but he was fine enough, especially now that he and Sage were talking again. He was thankful that she didn't press the issue, though. He didn't want to discuss the state of his mental health, especially not while waiting in line for the ladies bathroom at the bar late on a Saturday night.

The line moved unbelievably slowly, and both Bucky and Sage were growing impatient. Sage sighed, and leaned against Bucky, resting her head on his shoulder. "I wish I was a dude so I could go pee in the alley," she said, making Bucky laugh loudly. "You're so lucky," she continued. "You can just whip your dick out, don't even have to pull your pants down!" She stood up straight and gestured wildly, making Bucky laugh even harder.

"It has its benefits," he agreed, wiping at his eyes.

"Yeah but if you get hard, everybody knows it," she shrugged, peering down the line to see how much longer she would have to wait. Bucky choked on his drink. He'd never heard Sage talk like that, so overtly. He was used to her swearing, but this was a whole new animal.

"Puberty was hell," he told her.

"No fucking kidding," she agreed, grinning up at him. "This is so stupid," she then groaned, flipping a switch immediately and waiving her hands at the line.

"If you decide to go in the alley, I'll stand watch," he offered jokingly. He didn't really mind waiting in the line with her, and he really understood why she wanted the company.

"I have a better idea," she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the line. "No line or anything!" she cried, coming to a stop in front of the men's bathroom. She opened the door a crack and peaked inside to find it completely empty. She opened the door wider and went in, pulling Bucky in with her.

"Don't let anyone come in," she told him, pointing an authoritative finger at him as she walked past the urinals and into the single stall.

Bucky was thankful for the loud music pouring into the bathroom so that he couldn't hear anything, and distracted himself on his phone while he leaned against the bathroom door. Sage came out of the stall pretty quickly and washed her hands.

"Boys are animals. This bathroom is disgusting," she chastised him, as if he was responsible for the state of the bathroom himself.

"I've seen girl's bathrooms, too. They're not much better," he defended; finished his drink, and left it on the counter next to the sink. Bucky opened the door for her and followed Sage out of the bathroom, where they ran into Steve.

"What were you… why… were you two in there together?" he stammered, confused and praying that his best friend and his girlfriend's best friend didn't just hook up in the men's room. They _had_ been gone a while…

"Yes, and let me tell you, it was _magical_ ," Sage gushed, pressing herself into Bucky's side, wrapping her arms tightly around his middle, and winking at Steve. Bucky draped an arm over her shoulder. He had to admit that the closeness felt nice.

"She's joking, and she's drunk," Bucky explained quickly to the horror-stricken Steve.

"Good," he said slowly, glad to have cleared that up but still very confused. It seemed like Sage and Bucky were back on good terms, which was good, but he was struggling to fill in some gaps. Bucky steered Sage back out to the patio, leaving Steve the bathroom to himself.

Once outside, Sage pulled away from Bucky and ran up to Sharon and Maria, leaving him to join Sam and Natasha who were leaning against the railing of the patio.

"We back on track now?" Sam asked him. Bucky nodded.

"Seems like it," he answered. "What happened to ping pong?"

"Steve hit the ball into the alley and the bartenders wont give us a new one," Natasha answered. It didn't take long for Steve to return and join the three at the railing. He had heard Maria say something off-color about some guy's ass, and decided that he didn't want to join that conversation.

The four continued talking. Pretty much everyone finished their drinks, and it was almost time for last call. It seemed like the night was coming to a close, and then the three girls approached the group.

Sage broke off first, rushed over to the group quietly and snuck up behind Bucky. Without thinking, she reached out with both hands and grabbed Bucky's ass, startling him completely. She giggled while Sharon and Maria howled. Bucky recovered quickly, and reached out to retaliate, probably trying to pull her into a headlock, but she skirted out of his reach and latched onto Natasha's side for protection. Bucky knew better than to get Natasha involved and let her go.

"Do you guys wanna go to Joe's?" Sharon asked the group, referring to the late night, hole in the wall pizza place down the road. "We're starving."

"I could go for a slice," Sam agreed, pushing himself off of the railing. They decided to leave then and there, to beat the rush of people that would inevitably show up to Joe's the second the bars flipped on house lights and stopped serving.

While standing in line and discussing what to get, the group decided to just get a couple of large pizzas and take it back to Sharon and Sage's apartment, instead of eating at the restaurant that was quickly filling up.

Steve and Sam carried the pizzas while Sharon and Maria led the group, arms linked together in an effort to keep each other from stumbling, but really only making it worse as they bumped into each other and tripped over each other's feet. Apparently Maria already knew pretty much everyone in the group.

The group was loud with laughter and teasing as they walked to Sage's and Sharon's apartment building. Natasha, Sage, and Bucky brought up the rear, trailing behind everyone else as they talked about their upcoming midterms. Sage only tripped once, and it was because of an uneven section in the sidewalk that she didn't see. Both Natasha and Bucky reached out to keep her from falling.

"You walk like a newborn fawn when you're drunk," Natasha observed, and Bucky had to agree. While Sage only tripped once, she wasn't exactly steady on her feet, and the heeled boots she was wearing weren't helping the cause.

"Well, some asshole convinced me to wear these suicidal shoes," Sage muttered.

"You asked us if we thought they were a safety hazard, and we said maybe, but you wore them anyway," Natasha corrected her. Bucky chuckled at that, fully believing the story. He could easily believe Sage asking for their opinions, and doing whatever she wanted anyway.

"I don't need to carry you, do I?" Bucky asked. He'd do it, but they still had a few blocks to go. Sage turned and punched him in the arm, effectively answering him. As drunk as she was, she still packed a wallop.

"Alright, Rocky," Bucky retaliated by throwing an arm around her neck, pulling her down into his side, and giving her a noogie.

"Stop, you're going to make it worse," Natasha scolded the two. She was less worried about someone getting hurt, than she was about the rough housing making Sage sick.

The rest of the walk back to the apartment went without incident. Once there, Sharon fumbled through her purse to find her keys to let everyone into the building. Once she did find her keys, she unlocked the entrance door with her key fob, Sharon held the door open for everyone to file through. Sage brought up the rear and while climbing up the front entrance steps, she misjudged the height of a step and fell sideways, smacking the side of her head into the railing.

"Oh, fuck," Bucky swore and quickly turned around to help her up, while she cradled her head.

"I was just saying earlier today that this is the longest you've gone without hurting yourself," Sharon called from the doorway. Steve, Sam, and Maria peered out of the open door to watch Bucky and Natasha help Sage the rest of the way up the stairs and into the building.

"I'm OK, it's cool," Sage reassured everyone, still holding the side of her head, but shaking off Bucky and Natasha's steadying hands.

"You're so nurturing, Sharon," Maria teased.

"Oh please," Sharon scoffed, "when she broke her leg, she didn't go to the hospital for three days."

"You really are crazy," Sam chuckled, moving to press the button to call the elevator.

"It was a hairline in my tibia. It's not like I snapped it in half," Sage clarified. "I didn't even get a real cast. I got one of those big foamy things with all the straps and some crutches. Not a big deal," Sage shrugged. Yeah, she got injured more than most people, but she wasn't exactly clumsy. She hesitated to call it recklessness, and preferred to just think of herself as rough and tumble.

"Well, you're at least not bleeding," Natasha said, scrutinizing the side of Sage's head as everyone stepped into the elevator. Once inside the elevator, Sage leaned against the railing, and toed her boots off one at a time. She picked them up and tucked them under her arm.

"You should probably ice it," Steve suggested.

Once inside the apartment, Sage collapsed into her plaid chair. Steve and Sam put the pizza boxes on the coffee table, and everyone grabbed a slice, not bothering with plates. Sharon pulled a paper towel roll off the holder and tore off sheets for everyone to use. She set the roll down on the table, went back into the kitchen, and came back with a bag of frozen raspberries, handing it off to Sage with a dishtowel to wrap it in.

"I wonder if you have a concussion," Sharon mused as she grabbed a slice of pizza and sat on top of a throw pillow on the floor.

"How do I know if I do?" Sage asked, holding the bag of raspberries to her head and feeling pretty stupid about it while she ate her pizza.

"I have no idea," Sharon answered.

"What? You were a nursing major," Maria pointed out.

"Yeah, for like five seconds. They don't teach you that stuff in the first semester," Sharon retorted.

"Do you feel foggy or dazed?" Bucky asked. Sage shook her head but winced at the action. "Headache? Confusion?"

"Yeah my head fucking hurts!" Sage answered him. She smacked it into a concrete wall, of course it hurt!

"And you must not feel nauseous if you're eating pizza," he ignored her. He stood from his seat on the sofa, moved to the side of her chair and crouched down. He pulled the bag of frozen raspberries away and gingerly felt the area that Sage hit against the railing. Natasha was right about not breaking the skin, and all he felt was a little bump.

"It might swell a little, and it'll be sensitive for a while, but I think you're fine," he told her.

"Thanks Drake Ramoray," Sage joked, but smiled up at him sweetly.

"Who?" he asked.

"Friends!" Sharon answered him. Bucky was still confused, but let it go.

It didn't take long for the pizza to vanish, and for everyone to start yawning. Maria was already asleep on top of Sharon's bed.

"I guess we should get going," Steve said, pushing himself up from the sofa. Sage was curled up in her chair and watched as Steve and Sharon cleaned up the coffee table, and Sam and Bucky stood up to get ready to go.

"Are you staying, Natasha? 'Cus you can," Sage asked.

"I didn't bring anything," she said, though she was so tired that she couldn't even think about moving from the couch.

"You can borrow something of mine. And I'll make breakfast tacos," Sage offered.

"Oh shit, you better!" Sharon cried from the kitchen. She loved Sage's breakfast tacos. Natasha smiled and agreed to stay over.

"Well, shit, maybe I want breakfast tacos, too," Bucky whined.

"You can stay, too, but I don't think my clothes will fit you," Sage told him, smiling.

"That's OK, you can make me breakfast some other time," he teased, standing up from the sofa once he realized that Sam and Steve were ready to head out. Sage caught the innuendo but chose to ignore it.

"Dope," Sage affirmed. Bucky patted her shoulder on his way past her.

"Please don't ever say that again," Natasha warned her, making Sage giggle.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Sharon walked the boys to the door to see them out. Sage finally got up and wandered into her room to find clothes for Natasha and to change her own clothes. Natasha followed, and they both changed. Neither one was particularly sheepish about changing in front of others.

"Can I use some makeup remover?" Natasha asked, folding up her clothes.

"It's in the bathroom. Use whatever you need," Sage instructed. "You want the couch? Or you can crash in here, I don't care."

"You don't mind?" Natasha confirmed. Sage nodded and smiled. Sharon, Natasha, and Sage took their turns in the bathroom, and then helped Sharon take off Maria's shoes and pull her under the covers of Sharon's bed.

Sage was relieved to finally crawl into bed, but she was a little worried that it might be awkward with Natasha. Though, if she had to choose between Maria and Natasha, she'd pick the former. She knew her better and she trusted the redhead. They both lay on their backs, scrolling through their phones.

"So you and Barnes are all squared away?" Natasha asked quietly, not looking away from her phone. Sage pulled her phone away from her face and thought for a moment. She had sobered up considerably in the hour and a half since leaving the bar.

"Yeah, I think so," she mused. "Helps that I was _hella_ drunk."

"Don't say hella," she said. "He seemed really relieved. He was worried he really pissed you off."

"He did," Sage answered truthfully after a moment of consideration. Natasha set her phone down and turned to look at Sage.

"That's fair," Natasha said. She understood, she'd be pissed if a guy did that to her, too.

"I didn't know the reason, so I held a grudge. And by the time I found out the reason, it was already awkward and weird," Sage explained. Natasha thought quietly for a while, making Sage wonder if they were done talking.

"Do you like him?" Natasha asked.

"Yeah, of course, he's great," Sage answered honestly.

"I mean romantically," Natasha clarified.

"Oh," Sage thought for a second. "I don't know."

"Are you attracted to him?"

"Oh, _fuck yeah_ ," Sage answered emphatically, making Natasha giggle. "If he had a crap personality, his arms would more than make up for it." Natasha laughed louder.

"I think he returns the sentiment. He looks at you like you're a piece of cake," Natasha suggested.

"I don't blame him," Sage said sarcastically, laughing with Natasha. "Oh, also his hair. Super into the hair," she added.

"He does have good hair," Natasha agreed.

"I just wanna… braid it," Sage said, twirling a piece of her own hair between her fingers.

"So ask him out," Natasha suggested.

"He already kind of asked me out, and it didn't work out," Sage reminded her.

"So try again," the redhead urged, rolling onto her side to face Sage.

"I don't think I even have enough time to date anyone right now. I have like, eight papers due in two weeks, and I'm not even taking that many classes," Sage said. It seemed like a good enough reason, but also felt a little bit like an excuse.

"So what? Everyone's busy. Sharon's the busiest person I know, and she has a boyfriend," Natasha reminded her. "Seriously, she has a million extracurriculars."

"True," Sage agreed.

"Or just be friends with benefits," Natasha suggested. Sage considered it for a moment.

"I don't know," she sighed.

"It's not for everyone," Natasha amended. "But you can take him for a test drive and see if you want to commit."

"I've tried it before," Sage said, thinking about it. "I don't know. It was OK, but I don't think I want to do that again. Not with Bucky."

"Can I ask why not with Bucky?" Natasha pressed.

"It ruined my friendship with the guy. Like we both got so jealous if the other started talking to someone else, and it was just really unhealthy," Sage explained. "Like how awkward would it be if he and I couldn't be friends, and still be friends with the rest of you?"

Natasha considered that point for a while. She understood it. Sage didn't want to ruin her standing with her new friends, or her already fragile relationship with Bucky. It had already been damaged and repaired once, and the semester was barely even half way through.

"Well, whatever happens, happens," Natasha finally said. Sage had to agree with her. Maybe someday something would happen with her and Bucky, but Sage wasn't about to try and map it all out that night. She actually didn't want to think about it very much at all. She agreed with Natasha's sentiment, and decided that she'd just let things happen naturally.


	13. Real Love Baby

I'd like to take the time to apologize for my shitty editing skills. I promise that I do proofread each chapter before I post it, but I'm absolutely awful at catching my own mistakes. Also I've been asked about Sage's appearance. I basically imagine Alicia Vikander as Sage.

"Real Love Baby" by Father John Misty

* * *

Sage made good on her promise of breakfast tacos, but had to enlist help from Sharon. While she was too busy focusing on her head injury, she didn't realize until the next morning that she had also rolled her ankle when she tripped on the stairs. It wasn't a serious injury, but it did hurt to put weight down on it.

The four girls spent their lazy Sunday morning together, until the harsh realities of the coming week spoiled the mood. Maria and Natasha left to go home and prepare for the week. Sage and Sharon took turns in the shower, and then Sharon disappeared into her room to study. Unlike everyone else, Sage actually had a light week ahead of her

Moving between classes on Monday proved difficult. Sage took care of her ankle as best she could the day before, but a twisted ankle just didn't heal over night. She wrapped it to the best of her abilities, but she was still popping Advil and walking slow. After reporting to work with the wrap, Clint let her finish her shift doing office work, then told her to take the rest of the week off. She wasn't much use to him or anyone at the gym if she couldn't physically do her job on the climbing wall.

Because of her reduced speed, Sage left extra early to make it on time to Phillips' class. She didn't want to get yelled at again in front of the entire lecture hall. But she over estimated how long it would take her to get to class, and was one of the first people to arrive. She even beat Bucky.

During the past few weeks, Sage took to sitting in the back, but today she sat closer to the front. A few more students trickled in, and then after a group of sorority girls wearing their letters came Bucky. He was finishing off a large cup of coffee that he threw into the garbage can by the door. He looked up and found Sage almost immediately, smiling when she waved at him.

He dropped his bag off in his usual seat in the front row, and climbed the steps up a few more rows to talk to Sage.

"Glad to see you're not brain damaged," he teased as he approached her. She rolled her eyes by smiled anyway.

"I don't know, the jury's still out on that," she joked as Bucky came to a stop at her row. He made a move to slide past her into the seat next to her, but paused when winced in pain.

"You OK?" he asked, plopping down in the seat.

"Yeah, I just rolled my ankle," she answered him, crossing her legs and pulling up the leg of her long leggings to show off the wrapping. Bucky reached out and gripped her familiar red sneaker to steady her foot with one hand, and wrapped the other around her ankle. He moved her foot around a little and paid attention to the pained expressions she made.

"You icing it?" he asked. She nodded. "Your bandage is too tight," he observed.

"Sharon did it this morning," she told him.

"Do you mind?" Bucky asked, but didn't even wait for an answer before he took off her shoe for her and started unwrapping the bandage.

"You know what you're doing?" Sage asked. She wasn't questioning his ability, she was just surprised that he _had_ the ability. He certainly seemed like he knew what he was doing, unraveling the bandage, pulling on her leg and angling her foot to make it easier for him to rewrap it.

"I've had a lot of first aid training," he answered her, pausing to grin up at her. Something about that damn grin and his gentle hands on her foot brought a flush to Sage's face. Her ears, chest, and cheeks felt hot, and the oversized sweater she was wearing felt suffocating.

"Oh right, the CPT thing," he muttered.

"And the Army the thing," he added. He wasn't even done wrapping her ankle yet, and it already felt way better than Sharon's version had. "Didn't you get first aid training to work at the rec center?"

"Yeah, but it was mostly CPR and how to call 911," she shrugged. He was right, they did get training, but she didn't get in-depth caretaking lessons. It was all how to manage an injured person until more qualified personnel showed up.

"I know we talked Saturday, but I just wanted to make sure…" Bucky started, choosing his words carefully. He finished wrapping her ankle and removed his hands and leaned back in his seat. "We're good, right?"

Sage wasn't drunk enough to not remember her conversation with Bucky. It wasn't exactly a long, heartfelt conversation where they both expressed their feelings and thoughts, but it did make Sage feel better. She knew she had a habit of holding grudges, and from what she gathered from Sharon and Steve, he was torturing himself enough without her help.

"Yeah, we're good," she answered softly, sounding apologetic, which Bucky didn't understand. "I'm sorry I was a dick about it."

"Don't be," he chuckled. "And you weren't a dick."

"No, I didn't… I didn't know what was going on. I _was_ mad at you, so I gave you the silent treatment, and then I just got stubborn about it," Sage explained.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled comfortingly at her. She didn't know the whole story, so he couldn't fault her for her reaction. But now it seemed that she did know the story, or at least enough of it. He could tell in her treatment of him someone, probably Steve, spilled the beans and she felt guilty. All parties involved were avoiding calling the situation what it was, and were eager to sweep it under the rug. Bucky was fine with that, for now at least. But he knew from experience that things swept under the rug had a habit of crawling back out at inconvenient times.

"I figure if you're willing to stand guard while I use the men's room, you're worth keeping around," she smiled, joking to steer the conversation a different direction.

"The look on Steve's face was more than worth it," he laughed, thinking back on how Steve thought the two had hooked up in the bathroom. As awesome as actually hooking up with Sage would have been, he'd rather not have it happen in the bathroom at the bar.

Before Bucky could start thinking about better locations for sex with Sage, Phillips blessedly walked into the room and saved him from letting his thoughts get carried away. If he let himself think like that, then it was all over. It wouldn't be a regular friendship anymore, and he didn't think he was ready for the kind of torture that came from unrequited love.

Bucky patted Sage's knee, then left his seat to return to his own. Sage smiled after him, glad that things with Bucky were good again. While she was being a brat and ignoring his existence, Phillips' class was awkward and tense. Now things were back to normal and she could breathe easy.

Once class was over, Summer got out of her seat quickly and hobbled down the steps as best she could to get out of the way of the other students. Once down in the front of the room, Bucky was at her side instantly and followed her out of the lecture hall, his hand hovering protectively behind her.

"How far you gotta walk now?" he asked her, leading her through the lobby and out of the building.

"I don't have class for a few more hours. I usually go home between classes, but I'll probably stay on campus and do some reading," she shrugged.

"I'll walk with you," he said, waiting for her to lead the way. It wasn't even an offer.

"You don't have to," she started. She really didn't need the help.

"What building?" he asked, ignoring her.

"Ambrose," she answered, realizing that he was determined. He started leading the way, shortening his stride so Sage could keep up. She was a bit embarrassed by how slow she moved, but she was at least grateful that he wasn't trying to physically support her.

"You don't have somewhere to be?" she asked as they walked. All of the past times that she talked to Bucky after their history class, he always acted like he had another class to get to, but this time he acted like the rest of his day was completely free.

"I have another class, but it's not for a little while," he lied. He had another class right after Phillips, and it was miles away from the Ambrose building. But she was struggling, and he wasn't about to just leave her, because he was a good friend like that.

Sage eyed him, searching for any indication that he was lying, but couldn't find any. She didn't know him well enough to know his tells.

"There's some party Friday night," he started. "You and Sharon going?"

"Oh, I don't know. She hasn't mentioned it, but probably," Sage shrugged. "What kind of party?"

"You ever hear of Hanover Mansion?" he looked down at her as he spoke. She shook her head and he continued, "It's this crappy house a few blocks from campus, over on Hanover Street. Once a month they have a huge party, usually with a few shitty bands."

"Ah, we had a house like that at TMU," Sage chuckled at the memories. "Except it was this rich kid's dad's huge-ass second home where he had affairs. The kid caught him, so in exchange for secrecy, he got to use the house for wild parties," Sage laughed at the explanation, realizing how utterly ridiculous it was.

"Jesus," Bucky muttered.

"Yeah, TMU was…" Sage paused, trying to come up with an adequate description. "It was crazy stupid," was the best she could come up with. Bucky laughed at the description.

"I don't know much about it, besides all the spoiled rich kids," Bucky admitted, and instantly regretted it. He kind of figured Sage came from at least _some_ money.

"Oh my god, they were the worst!" Sage gushed. "I'm so happy I transferred!"

"I'm glad you did, too," he admitted. "Why did you, though?" He had been wondering that for a long time, and it never really came up.

"I only ever went there for my dad. He was on the alumni board and has seats in the stadium literally with his name on them," Sage explained.

"You don't really seem like the kind of person to do something because someone else wants you to, especially pick a college," Bucky observed. If he knew anything about Sage, it was that she didn't do anything she didn't want to.

"Well, he wouldn't pay for any other school, so," she trailed off and shrugged.

"But he let you transfer?" he pushed. He immediately regretted it once he noticed Sage wince.

"It wasn't an easy battle, but it was pretty obvious how absolutely fucking miserable I was," she finally said. She didn't go into any more detail and went quiet. They continued on in silence for a few more minutes.

"I started as a fucking finance major, if you can believe it," she finally broke the silence with a chuckle. Bucky laughed at the very idea of Sage in a pantsuit in some office somewhere looking at spreadsheets.

"I was a business major for five minutes," he added.

"I so cannot picture you in a suit," Sage giggled at the very thought. "I tried real estate after that, then speech pathology, then anthropology, which turned into art history," Sage went through the list, thinking to make sure she didn't miss a major that she tried.

"So you basically sampled the entire course catalog," Bucky teased. He could relate, though. He changed his major a lot, though his interest weren't as varied as hers. They then turned a corner and the Ambrose building came into sight.

"Yeah, and now I'm like, dangerously close to having excess hours," she laughed. Bucky himself had once been threatened with excess hours by his advisor, so he could relate to that horror, but if he kept his shit together, he'd graduate just under the cut-off. He hated thinking about all of the time and money wasted on classes he failed, or that became useless once he changed majors. The thought of actually figuring out a good degree plan, and then having too many credit hours so that he'd have to start double tuition was scary.

"Well, at least you have it figured out now," he offered, trying to point out a silver lining so that the mood wasn't completely ruined with academic and financial anxiety.

"Yeah, I just won't be able to get a job after I graduate," she laughed. She knew how almost completely useless her degree was unless she went to graduate school, or just got _incredibly_ lucky. But she didn't want to work in a museum or do research for the rest of her life. She liked art history a lot, but at this point in her collegiate career, she just needed a degree, any degree, to hold up her end of the bargain with her dad.

Bucky noticed how she didn't seem particularly worried. Either she was good at hiding her anxieties, or she had some other grand plan.

"What _do_ you want to do?" he asked, curious. He knew everyone else's life plans, goals, and dreams. He didn't have too many himself, but he wanted to know hers.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I wouldn't mind just taking some time to practice my climbing, do some more technical climbs, and get a job at a gym or as a guide somewhere. Maybe work at a summer camp again," she thought aloud. Bucky didn't know how viable a career option that was, or if there was any money in climbing, or if she even cared. He liked that she just wanted to do what she enjoyed, without worrying about salaries or starting bonuses, like he'd heard his other friends discuss before.

"That doesn't sound bad. You get to spend time outside," he thought aloud. She smiled serenely at the thought.

"You should come climbing with me sometime," she suggested as they neared the front doors of the Ambrose building. Bucky held the door open for her and followed her inside. She led him to a common area full of couches and armchairs, where she planned to sit and read until her philosophy class started.

"I don't know, I'm not big on heights," he admitted. He could admit to the hesitation, but he wasn't about to also admit that he had a recurring nightmare of falling from a very high, snowy mountaintop that only further fueled his already high levels of anxiety every time he had the dream, and that the very thought of heights made him want to puke. Sage smiled and really wrestled with the idea of teasing him about that, but let it go. Bucky being scared of something was an idea that she couldn't quite grasp. He seemed so capable and strong to her.

"You gonna be alright if I leave you alone?" Bucky teased as Sage dropped her backpack in a chair and sat in the one next to it.

"Honestly, who knows," she chuckled. "But I have my snacks and some work to do, so I think my chances are good."

It was tempting to just sit down and spend the rest of the day sitting and talking with Sage. Bucky was already late to his next class, and he seriously considered just skipping it, but he was only allowed three absences in that class, and he had already used two. He figured being a few minutes late was better than completely skipping, so he and Sage said their goodbyes and he hauled ass across campus.

Sharon didn't mention the party to Sage until Thursday, the day before. Sage and Bucky talked briefly after their history class, and he pretty much confirmed that he, Steve, Natasha, and Clint were going. Sam was a maybe. By some miracle, Scott had a new girlfriend and was spending all of his time with her. Laura had other plans.

"Your foot will be fine, right?" Sharon asked, lounging across Sage's bed while Sage sat at her desk.

"I'll be fine," Sage reassured her. Her ankle was feeling much better. It wasn't even that serious to begin with. Sage bounced back from injuries and falls quickly.

"I can't decide what to wear. This weather is killing," Sharon complained. "It's not that cold during the day but it gets freezing at night. I need a cute jacket, all I have are big winter coats."

"So not sexy," Sage joked, smirking at her friend, who rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me for wanting to look good," Sharon laughed.

"You have a boyfriend now, who cares what you look like?"

"He might!" Sharon cried.

"He'd be pleased as punch no matter what you wear," Sage reminded. Steve was superficial, and she doubted he would care if she wore a stylish jacket versus a practical one. He'd actually prefer the practical jacket so that she wouldn't be cold. He was a mom like that.

"I just don't want to be too cold if we're outside, and I don't want to get hot inside and have to take it off and lose it," Sharon explained the logic of her dilemma, which Sage completely understood.

"Boots, thick socks, jeans, that red sweater that makes your tits look like Christmas, your leather jacket. Boom, done," Sage instructed, pointing an authoritative finger at Sharon.

"First of all, how do boobs look like Christmas? And second, that's brilliant," Sharon was amazed after a few seconds of thought. The proposed outfit was perfect for the situation.

"All wrapped in red, just begging to be unwrapped," Sage answered simply while smiling proudly.

"What about you? What brilliant outfit do you have planned for yourself?" Sharon turned the tables, wanting to see if Sage could keep up the good ideas.

"Probably the same thing, but I don't have any boob framing sweaters," Sage answered. She wasn't usually one for cleavage, not that she even really had any. She really only ever achieved cleavage if she pushed her boobs together with her arms, or bent over.

All throughout the day on Friday, Sage was actually excited. She hadn't gone to a house party at her new school yet, and she was eager to see what sort of affair it would be. TMU house parties were like parties from the movies. Some rich kid throwing a rager in their parent's obscenely nice house, full of drinking, drugs, and borderline orgies. Most of the kids at TMU were affluent, and a lot of them were from the area. If they weren't from the Dallas metroplex, their parents paid for very nice houses and apartments that a student could never afford on their own.

Sage's last class of the day was canceled, which Sage took full advantage of. She took a luxuriously long nap in preparation for a long night. Sharon took a while to get home, so Sage took the time to actually take a bath. She even came pretty close to falling asleep again in the bathtub. Sage wrapped herself in a towel when she was done, and went into her room to check her phone to find a text from Sharon explaining that she was going to get dinner with Steve, then come home to get ready, and possibly pregame. That meant that Sage had even more time to herself.

Sage actually spent some time on her makeup. She knew how to do it properly, beyond simple foundation to even shit out, and a hasty sweep of mascara. She knew how to contour and highlight, and blend shadow. She just never cared enough to take the time. But, since the big event was a house party, Sage forgot about the contouring and dramatic eye makeup. She just settled for evening out her complexion, a bit of highlighter and blush, winged eyeliner, and more mascara than usual.

Sharon usually did Sage's hair when they went out. She used to do it herself when she went out as a teenager, but once she hit her twenties, she stopped caring enough to do it. She thought hard about what she wanted to do, and actually spent the time to blow dry her hair, making it smooth and shiny. She wasn't used to the style, panicked, and tried to curl it herself. Sage ended up looking like a little girl in a beauty pageant, in her opinion, and tried her damndest to brush out the large curls with her fingers.

In the end, her hair ended up looking pretty much normal, if not a bit smoother and shinier, and slightly less curly. She swore at the wasted time and effort, and opened a beer before standing in front of her open closet to figure out what to wear. Despite her conversation with Sharon the day before, she wasn't confident in the outfit choice.

Finally, putting an end to torturing herself, Sage heard Sharon's key in the door around 9 o'clock. Wasting no time, she stalked out of her room, beer in one hand and a wadded up shirt in the other, Sage marched out of her room for Sharon's help.

"Hey Sage! Are you almost rea- are you not wearing pants?" Sharon greeted her roommate, stopping short when she realized that Sage wasn't, in fact, ready. Bucky and Steve stood stalk still and quiet behind her.

"Fuck!" Sage cried. She had walked out of her room in an old tshirt, and nothing else but her underwear. She was still trying to get dressed, and did not know that Sharon would be bringing anyone back to the apartment. Though, looking back on the text that Sharon sent, it made sense that she'd at least bring Steve with her. She was completely thrown by Bucky's presence, however.

"It's pretty cold outside," Bucky started, recovering from the shock quickly, "You might want to wear pants."

"Genius. Thank you," Sage muttered sarcastically, turning to stalk back into her room. Sharon quickly followed her roommate into her room, and Steve nudged and smirked at Bucky, chuckling at the expression on his face.

"So, that's one way to get attention," Sharon laughed once she closed the bedroom door behind her. Sage threw the shirt that she had been holding into the corner of her room and fixed Sharon with a harsh glare. "Oh, like he's never seen your legs before," Sharon ignored the dirty look and waved it off.

"A warning would have been nice," Sage suggested, pulling a pair of black jeans out of her dresser and shoving her legs into them.

"I thought you knew Steve would at least be coming. We stopped and picked Bucky up on the way," Sharon explained. Sage rolled her eyes, and sat down heavily on the side of her bed, a rolled up pair of thick socks in her hand. She shoved her feet inside and tucked the socks under her jeans.

"I'm going to change really quick. I can do your hair if you want," Sharon offered. Sage bit back a scream of frustration. If only Sharon knew how much effort she put into her hair, just for it to look like she did nothing at all to it. Sharon ignored the silence and left the room, leaving the door open, to go change in her own room.

Steve and Bucky stood in the kitchen, sipping at beers. Sage looked through her open door at them and made eye contact with Bucky. He grinned at her, and came strolling over to her door.

"You didn't have to get dressed on our account," he teased, leaning against the door frame. Sage could see Steve roll his eyes over Bucky's shoulder.

"Well, like you said, it's a bit nippy outside," she retorted. While he was standing there in her doorway, drinking her beer, she took the time to appreciate his outfit; dark wash jeans fitted in all the right places, namely his impressive thighs, a maroon tshirt, a dark gray, unzipped hoodie, all under a black field jacket, and finished with an attractive pair of dark brown leather boots. His hair was gloriously down. Sage appreciated a good pair of boots. She briefly entertained the idea of him in cowboy boots, and thought about how someday she should get him a pair, thinking ahead to his birthday in March.

The random thought of buying cowboy boots for Bucky's birthday that was _months_ away startled Sage. Why the hell did she even think about that? Boots were expensive, and that would be a weird birthday gift to a friend. She'd do it for a boyfriend, though.

Sharon came back into the room almost immediately, dressed in her outfit that they planned out the day before, and holding her curling wand. She wasted no time in plugging it in at Sage's desk and all but forced Sage to sit down. Sharon brushed out her hair while they waited for the tool to heat up.

"Is that the famous dresser?" Bucky asked, stepping into the room, eyeing the blue dresser under the window.

"Yes, Satan grew tired of it in hell and sent it to me," Sage joked, glancing at the dresser, then to Bucky to see him smile at the joke. Steve took up Bucky's place in the doorway, feeling a little intrusive without actually being invited into the bedroom.

Bucky looked around, taking in all the details of the room. The dresser in question was covered in little knick-knacks, books, and a small collection of potted plants. The curtains hanging over the window above the dresser were some kind of white lace. He knew it had a name, but couldn't think of it. The bed was made, and covered in an all white quilt. He really admired the headboard, though. It looked like a piece of salvaged architectural wood, with a floral pattern carved into it and whitewashed. The nightstands on either side of the bed were mismatched, and so were the lamps. The lamp on the right looked vintage, like something his grandmother would have had from the seventies, with brass detailing and a bulbous yellow ceramic body. The lamp on the left looked like a statue of a swan with a lampshade stuck on top.

The wall above Sage's desk was covered in a large collage of personal photographs, small art prints, magazine clippings, and posters. The collage went all the way up to the frame of the closet door, which was thrown wide open, revealing neatly hanging clothes, and a mountain of shoes in the floor. On the wall of the other side of the closet was a large poster of a piece of art that Bucky knew he recognized. Luckily, the bottom of the poster bore the title and artist's name. _The Lovers,_ René Magritte.

On the adjacent wall hung a large painting. It was interesting, and Bucky stepped closer to examine it. The image was a picturesque landscape of rolling hills, with longhorn cows and a farmhouse in the background. It was almost photorealistic, and he would have thought it was a blown up photograph, if it weren't for the parts of it where he could see brushstrokes and the underlayers of paint. It seemed incomplete.

The sound of Sharon swearing after burning herself on the curling wand grabbed Bucky's attention away from the painting. He turned to watch Sharon carry on with curling Sage's hair. He didn't understand the effort, he thought her hair was good without the effort, but the bored look on Sage's face told him that it wasn't really her idea. Their eyes met and she smirked at him dangerously.

"I think Bucky should be next," she said slowly, her smirk easing into a wide grin at the idea of curling his hair.

"I'm prepared to fight you on that," he warned as Steve laughed at the notion.

"I'm sure he'd appreciate it even less than you do," Sharon snarked. She knew full well that the minute she was done and turned her back, Sage would rake her fingers through her hair and ruin the work.

Bucky made himself right at home and sat down on the edge of Sage's bed and continued drinking his beer.

"Alright, do your damage," Sharon sighed, turning off the curling wand and unplugging it once she was done with the last curl. She slipped past Steve to put the wand back in her room and to get her own beer. Sage at least had the decency to wait until Sharon was out of the room to stand up, bend over and shake her head violently, then stand up straight and run her fingers through her hair.

The polished, smooth curls that Sharon gave Sage's hair were nice, but they weren't her. The tousled, almost messy look that she achieved by the shaking and scrunching was definitely more suited to her. She wasn't tailored and polished and smooth. Sage was rough and untamed.

"You're lucky she doesn't wring your neck for that," Steve chuckled at the odd grooming ritual. That was actually the first time he had ever seen a girl curl their hair, and it was a lot more complicated than he realized. He could see why Sharon would be mad about Sage wrecking all of that effort.

"I tried once!" Sharon shouted from the kitchen.

"I gotta admit, sometimes I do it just to piss her off," Sage giggled.

Realizing that he had spent way too much time looking at Sage, Bucky looked away and stared down at his shoes. He looked back up again as Sage sat down next to him on the bed, a pair of worn, brown leather cowboy boots in her hands. She shoved her feet into them, one at a time.

"You really are from Texas," Steve commented on the boots, chuckling to himself. He downed the last of his beer and left the doorway, leaving Sage and Bucky alone.

"Is this thing mostly inside or outside?" Sage asked Bucky, stomping her feet a bit to get them settled into the boots.

"Both," Bucky shrugged, trying to think what Hanover Mansion parties were like. He hadn't been to one in probably a year. "If there's a band, it's usually inside, so Steve will want to be outside."

"He not a fan of loud, shitty, garage punk cover bands?" Sage laughed.

"Not at all. He's such a grandpa," Bucky laughed with her at the expense of his best friend. But it was true, Steve didn't like excessively loud, angry music, and honestly, neither was Bucky but he could tolerate it better.

"So not cool," Sage giggled. "If I change my shirt, will you freak out?" Sage stood from the bed and moved to her closet.

"Oh, I can leave," Bucky shot out of his seat immediately.

"Well, you've already seen me without my pants," Sage reasoned. Before Bucky could react or respond, she pulled off her shirt and threw it into the floor of the closet. She pulled a fresh shirt off of a hanger and pulled it over her head, smiling broadly at Bucky while she pushed her arms through the sleeves of a fitted gray sweater. Sage pulled her hair out from under the shirt as she moved to crouch next to her desk where he backpack sat, searching through it for her wallet. She pulled out her ID and some emergency cash and shoved it into the front pocket of her jeans.

Bucky was frozen in his spot, still thinking about the way too brief a glimpse of Sage's lacy, sheer, blue bra… thing. He knew it had a name, but it wasn't coming to mind. Nothing was coming to mind. Before he even realized it, Bucky left the bedroom to join Steve and Sharon, and Sage trailed behind him soon after.

Based on Bucky's insight, Sage grabbed her favorite denim jacket. It was well worn and comfortable, and had a shearling collar, making it nice and cozy when it was chilly, but not quite cold outside. She draped the jacket over the back of her plaid chair and waltzed into the kitchen. She hadn't worn her cowboy boots in a while, and something about wearing them made her feel strong and confident.

"So you're head and ankle are feeling better?" Steve asked as Sharon went to get a fresh beer out of the fridge, which she handed to Sage over the kitchen island.

"Much, thanks to Nurse Barnes," Sage smiled sweetly and reached up to pinch Bucky's cheek. He pulled away from her grip on his face, but smiled and laughed.

"I'm sorry, was he the one that graciously dropped you off in front of your class and picked you up after?" Sharon glared across the island.

"No, but he fixed your crappy wrap job," Sage teased. Sharon picked up and threw a bottle cap at Sage, nailing her square in the chest. It was small enough that it didn't hurt, and Sage laughed. "I'm kidding! You're the only reason I'm still standing. I'd be lost without you!"

"That's more like it," Sharon smirked.

The foursome continued talking until they finished their drinks and headed out. They decided to walk, as the house was only several blocks away. Steve and Bucky both argued about the decision, worrying about Sage's bum ankle, and her proven inability to walk home without incident. But rather than argue, once they were outside, Sage grabbed Sharon's arm and marched away down the sidewalk, leaving the guys no choice but to follow.


	14. In My Arms Instead

We got some more MCU characters, and some lovely Civil War/real world parallels in here. Plus some other stuff I think y'all'll like. Also, I'd like to apologize for my atrocious editing skills. I promise that I proofread everything before posting, but I'm so awful at catching my own mistakes.

"In My Arms Instead" by Randy Rogers Band

* * *

The night air wasn't too cold quite yet, and the walk to Hanover Mansion was kind of refreshing. Sharon used the temperature as an excuse, though, to snuggle up to Steve. Sage and Bucky fell into step next to each other, watching from behind as Steve and Sharon wrapped an arm around each other.

Once they turned the corner onto Hanover Street, they could hear music in the distance. The street was lined with cars, and the closer they got to the house, the more people they had to navigate past on the sidewalk.

There was a $5 cover at the front gate of the house, and everyone got a neon pink wristband to prove that they paid, presumably to cover the cost of the kegs littered throughout the house and both front and back yards. Bucky and Sage followed Steve and Sharon's lead, ignoring the house and going around the side, straight for the backyard. The yard was large and full of mismatched lawn furniture. There was a large covered patio, and a monstrous bricked-off fire pit that could in no way be legal.

The loud, jangly cover of a Cream song coming from the band playing inside could be just as easily heard outside. Sharon attempted to call Natasha to figure out where her and Clint were, while Sage drug Bucky away to get drinks for everyone. While there were several available kegs in the yard, there were no cups, forcing them to go inside to look.

The music was way louder than Sage anticipated it being, and the thick crowds of people were almost impenetrable. The house was warm from all the bodies, and Sage had to latch onto Bucky's hand to keep track of him as they maneuvered through the house. They had to go through the main living area to reach the kitchen, if it could even be called that anymore. The entire first floor of the house was devoid of furniture or any decoration, and the band was set up in the corner of the large living room. Based on the assembled audience, a lot of people were actually there for the band.

Bucky was good at pushing through the crowds. He hated being so close to so many people, but he was taller and broader than most, so he carved a good path. He kept a tight grip on Sage, sometimes having to stop when they stretched to far apart for her to catch up. They were almost to the kitchen when a girl backed into their clasped hands, breaking them apart. Bucky turned to reconnect, but Sage had been pushed back. She shouted something that he couldn't really make out, and she motioned for him to keep going. He assumed she would catch up, but when he finally reached the kitchen and found the massive stash of red solo cups, she never followed.

When the girl ran into her and Bucky, separating them, Sage caught sight of Wanda across the room. She figured Bucky could handle drinks himself, and that she'd catch up with him quickly after talking to Wanda quickly.

"Hey!" Sage yelled once she was only a few feet from Wanda. Sage took the time to admire her outfit. The girl had a signature style, and she rocked it. Sage couldn't think of anyone else who could pull off over the knee boots and a blood red leather jacket. "Sick jacket!"

"I didn't know you would be here!" Wanda reached out and pulled Sage closer so that she could hear.

"I came with my roommate and our friends," Sage replied in Wanda's ear.

"This your first time in the Mansion?" Wanda asked. Sage nodded and smiled. "If you have to pee, sneak upstairs," she suggested, making Sage laugh.

"Who are you with?" Sage asked, looking around them but realizing that Wanda seemed to be alone.

"I'm here for my brother! He's drumming," Wanda pointed to the band going nuts across the room. Sage never would have guessed that the bleach blonde guy playing drums was Wanda's twin brother. She knew Wanda had a twin, but had never seen or met him before. Obviously they were fraternal.

"He's good!" Sage grinned. Wanda's twin, Pietro, played fast, loud, and enthusiastically. It was entertaining just to watch his white-blonde head of hair thrash around.

"I gotta go catch up with my friend! We're outside when you're done!" Sage told Wanda before throwing herself back into the crowd to catch up with Bucky. By the time she made it to the kitchen, though, he was gone.

Scanning the room, and making absolutely certain that he wasn't there, she wondered if maybe he either got lost and never made it, or did make it and already left.

"You look lost!" one of the guys hanging out in the kitchen chuckled warmly. Sage turned at his voice and smiled sheepishly.

"I lost my friend," she replied.

"Do you need help looking?" he offered, smiling very nicely. He was charming already. Something about him seemed familiar.

"Do I know you?" she asked. "I've seen you somewhere before."

"I'm sure you have," he laughed, "I'm the student body president."

"Oh! You spoke at my transfer student orientation," all of the pieces clicked together and Sage smiled in recognition.

"T'Challa," he introduced himself, holding out his hand. Sage shook it and smiled. She repeated his name to make sure she got it, and he smiled at the effort.

"I'm Sage," she offered.

"What a lovely name," he complimented, for some reason making Sage blush a bit. He was just so damn charming. And handsome. And had an attractive accent.

"Would you like to take a shot with us, Sage?" T'Challa offered. The girl that he had been talking to handed her a shot glass before she could answer, and they all clinked their glasses together before taking them.

"Oh shit," Sage laughed as the vodka shot burned it's way down. T'Challa laughed.

"Thanks for the shot, but I need to find my friend," Sage finally said. It had been a while since she last saw Bucky.

"Let me help. What does she look like?" T'Challa asked, assuming Sage was looking for a girlfriend.

"About six foot, broad, hairy, resting bitch face," Sage described Bucky in a nutshell. T'Challa immediately realized his mistake but hid his surprise well.

"Ah, well, you only just missed him," he told her. So he probably went back outside.

"Oh shit, thanks! I'll see you around!" Sage waved and sped out of the room, feeling bad for losing track of Bucky. She slipped through gaps in the crowd and made it through the house quicker than it took her and Bucky to get in. Once outside, she found her group of friends, only expanded. Clint and Natasha were now standing with the group, sipping from their own cups.

"I was worried I'd have to come back in and look for you," Bucky teased as Sage rejoined everyone.

"I saw my friend Wanda and you abandoned me," Sage explained, smirking up at Bucky. "Oh, and I took a shot with the student body president," she added.

"I didn't know T'Challa would be here tonight," Steve said, looking around the crowd.

"He's in the kitchen," Sage told him. She then noticed that everyone had their own drinks, except for her. "Shit, I forgot to get a cup," she swore. Bucky adjusted the grip on his cup, holding it from around the rim so that he could pull off the second cup that his was nesting in. He handed it to Sage.

"I got you one," Bucky handed her the red cup, and she beamed at him. "C'mon," he turned from the group to walk her over to the nearest keg. He picked up the tap, Sage held out her cup, and he filled it for her.

"Such a gentleman," she giggled. He winked at her and followed her back to their friends.

It didn't take long for Sage and Clint to fall into an argument about work. Natasha pretended to care for a little while, until she gave up and joined the others' conversation about a piece of gossip that Sharon heard from Maria. The more time they spent outside, the colder they got. Pretty soon, they were standing right next to the fire pit to keep warm. The free-flowing beer helped with that, too.

Clint left around midnight to go meet up with Laura. Sharon and Steve disappeared to go talk to T'Challa, or make out in some dark corner, whichever they found first. Natasha, Bucky, and Sage were the left by the fire.

"Did you know that T'Challa's dad is some kind of diplomat?" Natasha told them, then took a sip of her beer.

"Yeah, and he's loaded," Bucky added.

"He seemed really nice," Sage said, shrugging.

"He and Bucky got into a fist fight the beginning of last year," Natasha revealed, smirking into her cup. Sage stared up at Bucky with wide eyes and an open mouth. She grinned, eager for the story.

"No way! What happened?" she begged for the story.

"He thought I was someone else," Bucky shrugged. "We're cool now."

"They got arrested," Natasha added. Bucky groaned and rolled his eyes. He hated this story. Sage's mouth dropped open again and she laughed loudly.

"Oh my god!" Sage cried.

"Actually, only I got arrested. He didn't get arrested because of his dad," Bucky corrected. Sage couldn't wipe the incredulous look off of her face. She had no idea about this, and the whole story had her on the proverbial edge of her seat. She needed to know more.

"T'Challa dropped the charges," Natasha told Sage. "They're friends now."

"This is the best story I've ever heard," Sage gushed. "I had no idea you were such a bad boy!" Bucky and Natasha laughed at that.

Sage continued to grill Bucky for details, which thoroughly amused Natasha. Eventually Steve and Sharon returned.

"Why did nobody tell me that Bucky got arrested for fighting the president?" Sage demanded when they walked back up to the group. Sharon laughed and Steve clapped Bucky on the shoulder.

"It's not one of his shining moments," Steve said, smiling at his friend. He knew Bucky didn't like the story, and probably especially didn't like Sage knowing about it. But she seemed to be really amused by it and taking it pretty well.

"Are you kidding? It's awesome!" Sage corrected Steve, making him laugh.

"God, that was an awful night," Sharon muttered so that only Natasha could hear, who definitely returned the sentiment. Looking back, everything turned out all right, but at the time it was pretty difficult. Bucky had been in a much worse place, and the incident actually had a pretty big fallout.

"Out of all the fights we've been in, you picked that one to talk about?" Steve teased. Sage's eyes widened again at the very suggestion that Bucky and Steve had been in any fight, ever. She still could hardly believe the first story.

"Natasha brought it up," Bucky shrugged, taking a drink. "I would have at least picked a story where we won." They laughed together, both running through memories.

"So Steve and I were thinking about heading out soon," Sharon told everyone, which Sage interpreted to mean that they were going to go home and defile each other. It was almost one in the morning, so Sage couldn't fault them for wanting to leave.

Steve and Sharon said the goodbyes, and Sharon pulled Sage into a hug.

"I'm probably not coming home tonight," she whispered in Sage's ear. They smiled knowingly at each other.

"Atta girl," Sage teased. Over Sharon's shoulder, she could see Steve say something to Bucky, and she assumed it was probably pretty similar to what Sharon just told her.

Once the couple was one, the three left started discussing leaving the party. Natasha left to go take another lap around the party, but said goodbye to Sage and Bucky beforehand, knowing that she probably wouldn't catch back up with them.

"So did Steve kick you out of the house for the night?" Sage asked Bucky, downing the last of her drink. He chuckled.

"He's too nice to kick me out, but I'll probably wait a while to go home," he told her. Part of him thought about asking if he could crash at her place, but he didn't want to freak her out, and the thought honestly freaked him out a little bit, too.

"We could just do a roommate swap," Sage suggested. At his confused look, she explained. "Steve can have Sharon and I can have you for the night."

Bucky choked on air at Sage's wording. She immediately backtracked.

"Oh god, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that you can crash at my place, you pervert!" she hit him in the arm while he laughed loudly. "Ya dick!" she added.

"I feel like you're taking advantage of me," he teased. Sage rolled her eyes.

"Fine, sleep in your car, see if I care," she threatened jokingly.

"I'm sorry. It's a very nice offer," he apologized, though struggled not to laugh the whole time.

"Shut up," she said, but couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and followed him through the yard. She immediately missed the warmth of the fire. Bucky took her empty cup from her and threw it on top of an overflowing trashcan near the front gate as they passed through it.

As they walked down the sidewalk, Sage walked very closely next to Bucky, practically shoved up against him with her hands shoved deep into her pockets. It was OK until she accidentally shoved him into a shrub. She laughed at him, and once he was back on the sidewalk with her, she looped her arm through his, shoving her hands back into her pockets.

The cold air had both of their faces red by the time they got back to Sage's apartment, which was so deliciously warm.

"Fuck, it's so fucking cold!" Sage swore once they were inside. She let Bucky lock the door and flip on the lights, moving into the apartment to sit on the arm of her plaid chair to pull off her boots. Once both boots were off and on the ground, Sage abandoned her spot and disappeared into her dark bedroom. Bucky took off his jacket and draped it over the back of the plaid chair. By the time he sat down on the couch, Sage came out of her room, having changed into yoga pants and a large sweatshirt with the hood up, holding a wadded up blanket. She threw the blanket at Bucky and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm making popcorn," she announced, heading straight for the pantry cabinet and pulling out a bag of popcorn. "Find something to watch," she instructed Bucky.

"What are we in the mood for?" he asked. The popcorn started popping and Sage pulled out a large bowl. Bucky found the TV remote on the coffee table. As he flipped through the channels, Bucky was surprised to see that Sharon and Sage seemed to have every single channel available. He and Steve only got about eight channels, and three of them were in Spanish. He didn't think any college kid actually paid for a full cable package.

"Something funny," Sage shrugged, rummaging through the refrigerator but paying careful attention to the sound of the popping. "You want a drink?"

"Sure," Bucky answered absentmindedly, mostly paying attention to the TV.

"You want sweatpants or something? I actually have a pair of men's pants that will probably fit you," Sage offered, which was true.

"I don't wanna know why you have them," Bucky chuckled. It was common knowledge that girls stole articles of clothing from their boyfriends, so he figured it was safe to assume that the pants Sage was offering used to belong to someone else. He didn't particularly want to wear another guy's pants.

"They're mine, if that's what you're worried about," Sage smirked, coming over to the couch to hand a beer to Bucky.

"I- no, I was… I'll take them if you're sure," he stuttered, trying not to make a misstep. Sage smirked down at him, but her face fell immediately once she realized that she forgot about the popcorn. She sprang across the room and all but punched the microwave off, but she was too late. When she opened the door, a bit of smoke poured out and the room instantly smelled like burned popcorn.

"Mother fucker," Sage swore. Bucky laughed as she stalked over to the opposite end of the room, and yanked open long floor length curtains to reveal the glass door leading to the extremely tiny balcony. She yanked the door open, dropped the bag of popcorn, and slammed it shut immediately. She then lit a candle on the side table next to Bucky.

"Come on, I'll get you pants," Sage sighed. Bucky stood from the couch and followed her into her room. She had switched on the overhead light, and was rummaging through the bottom drawer of her dresser. She finally pulled out a pair of dark green sweatpants.

"Is it really OK if I stay here?" he asked, making absolutely certain that it was cool. He thought it would probably be OK if he just hung out for a while and snuck back into the house, but by then it would practically be morning. And the idea of sneaking into his own house, where Steve was probably curled up in bed with his girlfriend, while he crawled into bed alone, just seemed… pathetic seemed like too harsh a word. Depressing wasn't quite right, either. He just knew that he could do better.

"Duh," Sage smiled, completely erasing any doubts. She turned to leave the room, closing the door part of the way behind her to leave Bucky to change out of his jeans in private. He made sure to take his wallet, phone, and keys out of his pockets, and left them on Sage's desk, before changing. The pants she gave him were a decent enough fit, though they were a bit short, but they'd be infinitely better than sleeping in his jeans.

Bucky came out of Sage's room, turning the light off behind him, to see Sage dumping a bag of tortilla chips onto a cookie sheet. "I'm making nachos," she announced proudly.

"Just don't put any spicy shit on them," Bucky warned jokingly. Sage had an unbelievable spice tolerance, but she was well aware of what Bucky could tolerate, which wasn't very much.

The TV was now making noise, and Bucky turned to see that Sage had turned on the beginning of _Big Daddy._ Sage started dumping shredded cheese onto the chips when Bucky walked into the kitchen to watch. The oven was already on, and instead of waiting for it to preheat, Sage put the sheet of nachos in anyway. Once the oven door was closed, Sage reached for her opened can of Dr. Pepper and took a long sip. She was definitely buzzed from the party, and she could have continued drinking, but decided against it. She was feeling good, she was feeling that warm, bubbly buzzed feeling that came from just the right amount of beer. She felt light and, well, buzzed was a pretty adequate word.

"What do you think Sharon and Steve are doing?" Sage asked, playing with the tab on the soda can until it broke off.

"I don't even want to think about that," he answered, scrunching his face in disgust.

"Oh, sick," Sage mirrored his face. "I just meant like, do you think they're at least watching a movie first?"

"What, like what we're doing?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, but, like, with sex," Sage stumbled through the thought, not sounding particularly eloquent.

"I doubt they ran home and immediately jumped into bed, if that's what you're asking," Bucky said, trying to divine some meaning. Sage nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"I know Sharon has liked Steve for a while, and I'm glad that it's working out for her," Sage started. "Like, it's so scary and hard to start something, I just hope it goes well," she continued, trying to make sense of her own thoughts.

"I know what you mean," Bucky said thoughtfully. They smiled at each other and fell into silence, though it wasn't particularly comfortable. The air between them was awkward. Sage felt the anxious feeling of anticipation rolling around in her stomach as she and Bucky smiled at each other, waiting for the other to say or do something.

Eager to ease the weird tension, Sage peaked into the oven to check on the nachos. The cheese was melted well enough, so she grabbed an oven mitt from the drawer to pull them out. On the way out of the oven, Sage accidentally bumped her arm into the oven rack, though she didn't feel the pain of the burn until she had set the sheet of nachos down on the stovetop.

Having seen the whole thing, Bucky immediately went into the freezer and plucked an ice cube from the icemaker. He stepped to Sage's side, pulled her arm close with one hand, and pressed the ice cube into the small line-shaped burn with his other hand.

"You take such good care of me," Sage laughed, looking up at Bucky. He smiled, but kept his eyes on his hands. He didn't think that he had the courage or will power to be that close and look her in the eyes, and not say or do anything stupid. Sage, however, felt a surge of courage as she stared at him.

"Bucky," Sage started. Bucky glanced up, locking eyes with her. "Would it be weird if we kissed?" It took Bucky all of one second to formulate an answer.

"No," he said confidently. As soon as the syllable left his mouth, Sage turned to fully face him, he dropped the ice cube and her arm, and had her hips in his hands and his mouth on hers.

Sage wanted to laugh and smile, but kept it inside. Why the hell had she waited so long, she wondered as she gripped his bicep with one hand and slid the other to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. They both struggled to keep their smiles to themselves, though.

"Stop smiling," Sage mumbled against Bucky's lips, making him grin.

"I'm not exactly sad about this," he chuckled, schooling his expression to kiss her again. He was almost overwhelmed with a warm, happy feeling, and a great sense of _relief_ , which he did not expect. Of course, he'd thought about kissing Sage a lot since meeting her, but now that it was happening, he wondered why he didn't do it much sooner.

Sage spread her fingers out into Bucky's hair as she pushed herself into him, deepening the kiss. Their mouths moved together slowly, and then Sage took Bucky's bottom lip gently between her teeth and he almost came undone. He sucked in a deep breath through his nose and his hands left her hips to explore her ribs and back.

Sage pulled back first, breaking the kiss to breath deeply. Bucky couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"Your nachos are getting cold," he pointed out, but made no move to break their position.

"Fuck the nachos," Sage replied coolly, returning his smile. Bucky laughed loudly, not expecting that answer. The hand that Sage had on his bicep slid down his arm until it reached his hand that was firmly affixed to her side. She wrapped her fingers around his hand and pulled it away. She untangled her fingers from his hair and stepped back, pulling him with her out of the kitchen.

Bucky fell into the couch, and pulled Sage down next to him, where she settled into his arms. They missed the beginning of the movie, but Sage practically knew the screenplay by heart, plus she had a pretty good excuse.

Sage sat on the couch with her side flush against Bucky's, and her legs curled up beneath her, her knees resting against Bucky's lap. He draped a tight arm across her shoulders and rested the other hand atop one of her knees.

They made out during the movie off and on. When she heard a favorite scene begin, Sage pushed Bucky back so that she could watch it, but eventually Bucky was more interesting than the movie.

As awesome as making out in general was, this was a million times better. They could take breaks to catch their breath, or laugh at a funny joke in the movie, but the best part was that it wasn't awkward. They both took turns making jokes and teasing the other. It wasn't desperate, clothes grabbing, take-me-now kissing. It was exploratory and experimental, and fun.

When the last scene of the movie began, Sage pushed Bucky away again to watch.

"I don't know how I feel about competing with Adam Sandler," Bucky joked.

"Who said anything about Adam Sandler? I'm here for Jon Stewart," Sage grinned and winked at him, then turned her attention back to the TV. She yawned deeply, the credits started to roll, and then Bucky yawned. It was now past three in the morning.

"As much as I would love to stay up," Bucky started.

"You're ready to go the fuck to sleep?" Sage guessed, grinning. Bucky returned the smile.

"Nailed it," he confirmed. Sage reached for the remote to turn off the TV and stretched her arms out, rolling her shoulders. She then stood up and stretched her back. She stepped around the coffee table to head to her room, then realized that Bucky was still sitting down.

"You coming?" she asked. Bucky look surprised by the question.

"You don't mind?" he asked, trying not to sound either sheepish or presumptuous. It wasn't like they'd never slept together before. At Sharon's lake house, she practically slept right on top of him on the couch, and right next to him in his bed the next night, and that was fine. But now that they'd spent a fair, amazing, amount of time making out in her living room, it was different.

"Shut up," she rolled her eyes and smiled. "and turn the light off," she went into her room, not waiting for him to follow. Bucky did as he was told and followed after Sage, closing the bedroom door behind him. She was already in bed, the swan shaped lamp next to her switched on, and her sweatshirt abandoned on the floor. Bucky pulled off his hoodie and draped it over the desk chair, then climbed into her bed.

Bucky glanced over to Sage, watching her scroll through her phone from the corner of his eye as he settled down under the covers. She startled him when she quickly turned to face him.

"I just realized that I didn't take off my makeup and I refuse to get out of this bed, so don't be scared when you wake up next to the Joker in the morning," Sage explained to him quickly, making Bucky laugh. Just the very idea of waking up next to someone made him feel, he hated to say warm and fuzzy, but it made him feel warm and fuzzy. Sage smiled, put her phone on the nightstand, and turned off the swan lamp.

Bucky liked his bedroom completely dark, with thick blackout curtains completely covering the window. Eyelet lace was the only thing covering Sage's window, and the filtered light from the street lamp outside the window made a delicate pattern of light across the bed. He was in a foreign room, in bed with someone else for the first time in forever, barring that one night. Bucky wanted to reach out, but he felt frozen in place. He felt a tremendous amount of pressure to do the right thing; he just didn't know what that was.

He tried to convince himself that this was just like last time. They were friends. Good friends. He cared about her, he'd thought about this happening, about kissing her and being close like this. Bucky's muscles were tense. Sage rolled onto her side, and Bucky held his breath. When he finally let it go, he realized that he was grinding his teeth and clenching his jaw. Now was probably the _worst_ time to fall into an anxious shame spiral.

"I can go into Sharon's room," Sage whispered, startling Bucky again. Great, she could tell he was freaking out.

"Don't," Bucky choked out. He was surprised that he could even make a noise. Sage reached out and dropped her hand on his arm, patting it gently. She couldn't help but notice that since he climbed into the bed, he was ram-rod straight, and her room was light enough that she could see that his eyes were wide open the entire time the light had been out.

Sage scooted closer to Bucky, bringing her pillow with her until her forehead was pressed against his shoulder. She curled up against him and moved her hand to slip between his arm and his torso, hugging his arm against her. The small smile that came to Bucky's lips surprised him, and suddenly he didn't feel so tense anymore. It felt like his muscles were melting into the mattress. The hand of the trapped arm found Sage's thigh. He gently squeezed it once, then stroked his thumb slowly across the fabric of her sweatpants.

Sage eventually released Bucky's arm, but she stayed in the middle of the bed for the rest of the night, right up next to him. She didn't reach out for him, and thankfully didn't kick or punch in her sleep. Bucky didn't sleep quite as well. He didn't do well in strange places. But he was actually delighted by that fact, since it meant he got to hear Sage talk in her sleep. She muttered quietly about soup and not know how to drive stick-shift for a few minutes, and then she was quiet for the rest of the night.

Bucky was genuinely surprised when he woke up, meaning that he actually slept. The room was bright from sunlight, but chilly. Sage had her back turned to Bucky, wrapped up in the warm white quilt, leaving Bucky literally out in the cold. He gripped the nearest edge of the quilt and tugged on it gently, testing how tightly Sage was gripping it. The quilt came easily and Bucky slowly pulled it until he was fully covered again.

"Goddamn blanket hog," Sage mumbled, making Bucky smile. The last time she had called him that, they were hung over. This time was better.

Sage tried to pull the quilt closer around her. She was cold, half asleep, and grumpy. Bucky chuckled, and with a swell of courage, he closed the gap between them, pressing his chest against her back, and draping an arm over he side and across her stomach to pull her closer, effectively spooning. Sage didn't move to get away. She only reached up to push her hair out of her face, and closed her eyes to go back to sleep, glad for the extra warmth.

Bucky didn't know what time it was, but he woke up a little while later, or maybe even a few hours later, to the sound of the front door opening and closing, meaning that Sharon was home. He didn't care, and readjusted his position around Sage and closed his eyes again.


	15. Stand By My Girl

Y'all! I am so sorry for the delay! I had a busy couple of weeks and time to write just slipped away. But this is a BIG chapter, in more ways than one, so hopefully that will help make up for the wait. Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews, you're the real MVPs.

"Stand by My Girl" by Dan Auerbach

* * *

When Sage finally woke up for good, she felt hot and crowded. Bucky was dead weight, passed out right behind her with an arm draped over. She stayed still for a minute, trying to decide the best way to play this. She could be gentle and romantic, but the drive for relief was overwhelming. Plus, she really needed to pee. So she decided to rip the Band-Aid off. She rolled out from under Bucky's arm, and the oppressive quilt and onto the floor. Sage didn't take the time to see if she even woke Bucky up, and left the room to go to the bathroom.

Bucky did wake up. He was a light sleeper. The clock under the swan lamp read 12:15. He hadn't slept in that late in ages. Steve wouldn't ever let him. He stretched out in the bed, taking his time to fully wake up. He felt relaxed and pretty well-rested, all things considered. He had forgotten how comforting it could be to have a warm body to share the bed with.

On her way out of the bathroom, Sage stopped by Sharon's room. She had the door open and was folding laundry on her bed. Sage slipped into the door and closed it behind her.

"What?" Sharon asked suspiciously, eyeing Sage wearily. She had a guilty look on her face. Sharon could only imagine what Sage was about to tell her.

"Nothing," Sage shrugged, lying. She wasn't a great liar.

"What happened?" Sharon pressed. She had a suspicion that whatever was happening, had something to do with Bucky. She and Steve both noticed that he never came home.

"There's a boy in my room," Sage playfully whispered, sitting on the edge of Sharon's bed. Sharon laughed loudly while Sage giggled.

"Oh my god!" Sharon exclaimed, trying to keep from shouting. "It's Bucky right?" Sage rolled her eyes but saw an opportunity.

"No," Sage grinned. "Remember that guy I met last night?" Sharon's jaw dropped.

"I- what happened to… Bucky never… are you joking?" Sharon sputtered, trying to process what she knew and what Sage was telling her. She knew Bucky never came home the night before and that Sage liked to cause trouble. It didn't take her long to realize it was a lie.

The sound of footsteps down the short hall to the bathroom caught Sharon's attention and she threw a pair of shorts at Sage's head as they both laughed.

"We wanted to give you and Steve some privacy," Sage said, making a kissy face at Sharon and winking. It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"I slept over, but it wasn't like that," Sharon sighed. "We're taking things slow."

"Uh-huh," Sage mocked.

"Like you're one to talk," Sharon countered.

"Hey, he didn't get it in, either!" Sage defended, making Sharon laugh at the crude phrasing.

"You're disgusting, but I'm kind of disappointed," Sharon sighed. She was sick of the sexual tension, and she was starting to get tired of waiting for her two friends to break down.

"Well, I mean, it wasn't a complete waste," Sage started. "We made out a lot." Sharon threw a pair of rolled up socks at Sage and grinned from ear to ear.

"You're kidding!" she gasped.

A soft knock at the door followed by Bucky's voice calling Sage's name interrupted the conversation.

"Get in here!" Sharon yelled. Bucky opened the door and stood in the doorway. The look Sharon was giving him made him uncomfortable. She was smiling in a very creepy way.

"I'm telling Sharon about all the sex we had last night," Sage joked, shifting on the bed to face him.

"Oh, yeah, don't forget to wipe down the kitchen island," Bucky chuckled.

"You're both disgusting," Sharon chided, narrowing her eyes at her friends.

"Oh yeah? And what did you do last night?" Bucky countered.

"We made a quilt," Sharon said sarcastically.

"Is that what the kids call it these days?" Sage teased. Sharon sighed, knowing that the back and forth teasing could go on all day.

"Are you at least going to help me fold while you mock me?" Sharon asked.

"No, I have to pee," Sage smiled sweetly, stood from the edge of the bed, and slid past Bucky in the doorway to go to the bathroom.

"So," Sharon started, smiling in a way that made Bucky both tired and nervous.

"Don't bother beating around the bush and just ask whatever you're wanting to ask," he sighed. He knew some form of interrogation was inevitable. He hadn't been sure if Sharon would grill him, but he definitely knew that Steve would the second he got home. Now it looked like he was in for two questionings.

"Steve and I were going to go out tonight, and now I'm wondering if you two would like to join us," Sharon suggested. She wanted to ask Bucky alone about the idea in case he didn't actually want to go so that he wouldn't be put on the spot.

"Are you asking us on a double date?" Bucky clarified.

"Yes and I have an idea that I think will be fun and she'll flip for it," Sharon said, gesturing vaguely in the direction that Sage went.

"Wanna tell me about it?" he asked, having a feeling that she wasn't directly telling him what it was because she knew he wouldn't like it.

"It'll be fun," Sharon grinned wickedly. Bucky sighed and crossed his arms. He just knew that Sharon's idea wouldn't be something he'd normally do, and the thought of a _double date_ was enough to make him want to fake sick. Honestly, finally kissing Sage was a huge relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt light and renewed, and like everything was going to be OK. The way he was feeling reminded him of a post-chiropractic adjustment. He could stand a little taller, move a little easier, breathe a little deeper. But were they ready for a double date? Were they even ready for a normal date?

"Just think of it as the four of us hanging out," Sharon suggested, practically reading Bucky's mind before he could even over-think things.

"Hey, is anyone hungry?" Sage reappeared in the doorway and leaned against Bucky's side.

"Steve and I had breakfast so I'm fine," Sharon answered.

"I bet you did, you dirty girl," Sage winked animatedly, making Bucky laugh. His anxieties started to back down.

"Shut up," Sharon sneered and stuck out her tongue. "Bucky and I were just talking about going out tonight," she changed the subject.

"Like on a date?" Sage joked. She knew what Sharon meant, but she was in a really good mood. She was feeling playful and light. Also she liked making Bucky laugh and smile.

"You're not busy are you?" Sharon ignored Sage's joke.

"I guess I am now," Sage answered. "Y'all want a grilled cheese?"

"I should probably get going," Bucky started pushing off from the door frame and making Sage stand up straight. "If we're going out I need to finish some grading and get some clean clothes," he explained. Sharon grinned, glad that he was agreeing to the plan. Sage watched Bucky go back into her room to change back into his own clothes and gather his things. Sage left Sharon to finish her laundry and grabbed a granola bar from the pantry.

Bucky came out of Sage's room with his shoes in his hands, "I just realized that I need a ride home," he said, sitting down on the arm of the plaid chair to slip on his boots. Sage laughed at the realization.

"I'll drive you," she offered through giggles. She went into her room and pulled on the sweatshirt that she abandoned the night before and pulled on her cowboy boots. She led Bucky out of the apartment and unwrapped the granola bar as she walked. She broke it in half and offered one of the pieces to Bucky, who happily took it and ate the whole piece at once.

"Do you remember how to get to my place?" Bucky asked while pulling on his seatbelt once they were in Sage's car.

"Kinda," she answered, shrugging. Sage actually remembered the route pretty well and didn't need Bucky to give any directions. They listened to the radio in companionable silence most of the way.

Sage pulled into the empty driveway of Steve and Bucky's house and put the car into park. Bucky unclicked his seatbelt, and leaned across the center console to kiss Sage briefly. They both smiled as he pulled away.

"I guess I'll see you in a little while," he told her, opening the door and stepping out.

"Can't wait," Sage grinned. Bucky closed the door and walked around the front of the car, but something drew him back. Instead of going inside, he turned and approached the driver's side window. Sage rolled the window down, a confused expression on her face.

"Forget something?" she asked. Bucky leaned against the car door and poked his head inside the window to kiss Sage again. She couldn't help but laugh, making the kiss sloppy and difficult. Bucky tried his damndest to not smile but struggled, resulting in a quick succession of open-mouthed kisses.

"Go do your grading and laundry!" Sage laughed, finally pulling apart. She felt like she could sit in that driveway and kiss Bucky all day but they both had things to do. Bucky rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

"You have no idea how much I don't want to do that today," he chuckled.

"Duh, it's Saturday," she replied.

"If you're still hungry, I can make you something," he offered.

"We both know that if I get out of this car, you're not cooking me anything," Sage laughed. The honesty was both surprising and intoxicating to Bucky. He would love nothing more than to keep making out, especially inside his house where they could have more privacy than the middle of the driveway, and it was nothing short of encouragement to hear her say that.

"I make a damn good grilled cheese," Bucky continued, smiling as charmingly as he could. Sage narrowed her eyes dubiously at him.

"What kind of cheese do you use?" Sage asked, as if her leaving or staying depended on his answer.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that, but I can tell you that it's more than one kind of cheese," he said, smirking. They were just delaying the inevitable.

"Fine, but at least get a load of laundry started before you feed me," Sage relented. She rolled the window up in Bucky's face, turned off the car, grabbed her phone form the cup holder, and stepped out of her car. Bucky led her inside.

"Steve?" Bucky yelled, closing the door behind Sage. Most of the lights were off and Steve's motorcycle wasn't in the driveway, but Bucky wanted to confirm that he was gone anyway.

"It's cold as shit in here," Sage commented, pulling the hood of her sweatshirt up and balling her fists up into the sleeves.

"Steve's so anal about the thermostat," Bucky muttered, crossing the room to adjust the thermostat on the wall, flipping on lights on his way.

"You like spicy shit, right? I think we have pepper jack," Bucky asked, leading the way into the kitchen.

"Laundry first!" Sage scolded, trying to keep him on track. Bucky shot her an exasperated look at the reminder of the chore. Sage followed him back out of the kitchen and down the dark hall to his room. She had never been in it before.

"I thought you were in the Army!" she exclaimed, stopping in the doorway, almost impressed by the messy state of the room.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, standing in the middle of an explosion of clothes on his bedroom floor. The bed wasn't only unmade, but it was a mess of twisted sheets with pillows and clothes all over it. The floor was similarly covered in clothing. His desk and dresser top were covered in books, papers, and general clutter.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be tidy," Sage laughed.

"It's not usually this bad," he tried to defend himself, but Sage stared at him like she didn't believe him. Bucky stooped to gather all of the clothes onto the floor into a big pile, and did his best to scoop it all up into one armload. A shirt and a few socks fell, and Sage cross the room to pick them up for him. She dropped them onto the top of his load and smiled.

"Your room gives me anxiety," she said sweetly. Bucky laughed. He really wasn't usually this messy, but he'd been busy lately and just kind of let it go. He had taken to keeping his door closed so that Steve wouldn't see it, because if he had, he'd call Bucky a messy punk.

"If it bothers you so much, please feel free to clean it," Bucky joked, leaving the room to take his laundry to the machines on the back porch.

"You say that jokingly, but I will," Sage said, almost sounding like a warning. Bucky actually believed that she would.

She didn't follow Bucky outside because she didn't want to be in the cold air again, so Sage stayed in the kitchen and rummaged through the fridge, looking for cheese. Bucky hadn't lied about the pepper jack. She set the package on the counter next to the stove and started looking for bread. She searched through the cupboards until she looks across the room and realized that there was a loaf sitting on top of the fridge. Bucky came back inside as she pulled the bread down. Sage played assistant while Bucky grilled two sandwiches- his with once slice of Colby jack and one slice of American, and hers with two slices of pepper jack.

Bucky finished his grilled cheese in four bites, while Sage took a bit longer. She followed him into his room, holding her half eaten sandwich in a paper towel.

"So how badly am I screwed for Phillips' midterm?" Sage asked, sitting at the foot of Bucky's unmade bed as he took his seat at his desk.

"I haven't seen it, but I've had to take it twice," he said. "I failed the first one miserably, and barely passed it the second time," he added, focusing his gaze on the stack of blue books on his desk. Talking about his shortcomings, whether as a student or just in general life, was difficult.

"I'm kinda worried," Sage started. "All of my midterms are so close together and they're all just so _big_." She tore off the crust on one side of the sandwich and ate it.

"This time of year sucks," Bucky agreed. "Steve has made himself personally responsible for my academic success, so we'll be in the library a lot these next few weeks if you want to go with us," he looked up form his desk to make the offer. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Misery loves company," she chuckled, making Bucky smile. Sage finished her grilled cheese while Bucky attempted to organize his desk.

"I need to ask you something," Sage started, catching Bucky's attention. "It's been bothering me for a while."

"Shoot," he said.

"What's your full name?" Sage asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees and prop her chin up in her hands. Bucky blinked, not expecting the question to be so easy.

"James Buchanan," he answered with a smile. Sage laughed.

"The house we lived in when I was little was on Buchanan Avenue," Sage explained before Bucky could jump to the conclusion that she was laughing at his unusual middle name.

"So what's your full name?" Bucky countered. He'd wondered for a while if she had a weird, hippy middle name to go with her New Age-sounding name. When they first met, he assumed her parents had been hippies. Then he found out her mom had been an artist, and the name Sage made some sense.

"Sage Levi Calhoun," Sage answered with an exaggerated sigh.

"You have two middle names?" Bucky chuckled.

"My parents were a lovely mix of artsy and pretentious," Sage said, shrugging. Her middle names were family names, or so she had been told. She didn't know what side of the family they came from, or who she was named after.

Bucky continued to smirk as he turned back to his desk. The front door opened and closed, meaning that Steve was home.

"Buck?" he called down the hall.

"In here," Bucky yelled back. He swiveled around in his desk chair to face the open door, waiting for Steve to appear there.

"Hey, Sage," Steve greeted, standing in the doorway.

"Hi," Sage replied coolly, smirking at him. "Have a good night last night?"

Steve sighed and did his best to not roll his eyes. "It was good. How was your night?" he shot back, looking pointedly back and forth between her and Bucky, eyebrows raised suggestively.

"Fantastic," Sage answered emphatically as she stood up from the edge of Bucky's bed. "So fantastic, that I think I should get going. Sharon said we're going out and I want to fit a nap in before that," she explained.

Bucky walked Sage to the door and watched her get into her car and leave. He so badly wanted to kiss her again, but didn't want to do it in front of Steve, who trailed behind him, waiting for a recounting of the night's events.

"So how was your sleep over?" Steve asked the second that Bucky closed the front door.

"How was yours?" Bucky shot back, walking past Steve to go back to his room and get some actual work done.

"We watched _Braveheart_ and went to sleep," Steve answered simply, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame to wait and hear about Bucky's night.

"We watched _Big Daddy_ and went to sleep," Bucky echoed, sitting back down in his desk chair and turning his back to Steve. "We also made out a little," he added. He just knew that Steve would be smiling, but didn't want to turn around and confirm it.

"So Sharon wanting to go out tonight isn't a set up," Steve mused. "You're already together."

"We're not together," Bucky corrected him. Technically they weren't. Or were they? They didn't have _the talk_ , they only made out. He obviously liked Sage, and she obviously liked him back, but they weren't _together._ Bucky realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that he was in that horrible relationship limbo. They could so easily be something or nothing.

"Uh-huh," Steve agreed sarcastically, leaving Bucky alone with his stack of grading and his now anxious thoughts.

Between light studying and chores, Sage fit in a brief nap. Sharon cooked them both dinner, and they were once again getting ready together.

"Where are we going again?" Sage asked, sharing the bathroom counter with her roommate.

"I never told you," Sharon corrected her.

"So tell me now," Sage prompted.

"A bar," Sharon answered simply, purposefully being vague.

"But not one that I've been to," Sage guessed correctly. "You're gonna make me dress nice, aren't ya?" Sage groaned as she pumped a handful of Sharon's lotion into her palm. She propped her foot up onto the edge of the counter and started working the lotion into her skin. "Fuck, I got too much," she swore under her breath.

"I've never actually been there either. It's not usually my scene but I thought it would be fun," Sharon said, working some kind of mousse through her damp hair.

"It's not dancing, is it?" Sage guessed with a groan. Sharon laughed.

"You'll like this kind of dancing," Sharon assured her. Sage stared confusedly at Sharon through the mirror. She switched over to the other leg to lotion.

"Are you taking me to a cowboy bar?" Sage asked slowly. Sharon smiled. "Steve and Bucky are going to hate it," Sage laughed.

For once, Sharon didn't even ask to do Sage's hair. She did use a hair dryer, though, making her hair smooth and straight. They each did their own makeup, Sharon taking more time and care on hers.

Sharon was ready the soonest. She came into Sage's room, wearing black skinny jeans, a soft, form-fitting gray sweater, and heeled black suede boots. Sage had managed to pull on a pair of blue jeans and socks, but stood in front of her closet searching for a shirt.

"Do you need help?" Sharon asked, sitting down on Sage's bed, watching her roommate rifle through her closet.

"Nooo," Sage whined.

"We need to go soon," Sharon warned, hoping that the reminder would push Sage to make a decision.

"Ugh, fine," Sage grumbled, ripping a shirt off the hanger and pulling it over her head forcefully. She pulled the shirt down and pulled her out from the neck of the top. She grabbed her cowboy boots from the closet floor and sat next to Sharon on the bed to pull them on.

"That color looks good on you," Sharon said, "and that top makes your boobs look good," she added, smirking. Sage rolled her eyes by smiled. The shirt wasn't her usual style. It was a form-fitting, long sleeved maroon shirt with a keyhole cutout down the chest. Her boobs weren't big enough for proper cleavage, but the cutout drew attention to the area anyway, in addition to the way the fabric clung to her body. Sage typically avoided tight clothing. She didn't like form-fitting shirts, but she figured it was a good occasion to step out of that comfort zone.

Sage caught Sharon smirking at her and glared in return. "What?" she asked begrudgingly.

"If you didn't wear yoga pants, I never would have known you had a body underneath your usual wardrobe," Sharon commented. Sage sneered, then pulled a jacket out of her closet, pulled it on, and stomped out of the room, leaving Sharon alone.

"That's a cool jacket," Sharon noted, following Sage out of her bedroom and turning off the overhead light behind her. She admired the camel colored suede moto-styled jacket. She tried not to feel slightly jealous. Sage always had cool stuff, for as long as Sharon had known her. That first summer that they met at camp, Sage had the coolest pair of bright red cowboy boots with little gold embroidered stars. She always seemed to find weird things that Sharon would never look twice at, and make them look cool. Plus she had a significantly larger budget.

"You think so? I found it in a vintage shop over the summer. It reeked of cigars," Sage pulled at the lapel of the jacket, bringing it up to her nose to sniff. To her, it still faintly smelled like cigars, but she had gone to great lengths to get rid of the smell.

Sharon's phone dinged, and she pulled it out of her cross body purse to check her texts.

"Steve says they're ready when we are," Sharon announced. Sage nodded and grabbed her own cross body purse, and followed Sharon out the door, turning off lights as they went. Sharon drove to Steve and Bucky's house, and idled in the driveway, waiting for the boys to come out of the house.

"You sure you don't mind driving?" Sage asked while they waited, messing with the air vent.

"Yeah, it's cool," Sharon answered. "If I get drunk, Steve'll drive us home." Sage giggled, knowing full well that Steve would definitely be driving them all home. Sage jumped at the sound of both back doors opening simultaneously, not having seen Bucky and Steve approach the car.

"Wherever we're going better have food," Bucky said, slamming his door closed and buckling his seat belt. Steve closed his door a lot more gently.

"I told you to eat before," Steve reminded his roommate.

"I wasn't hungry earlier," Bucky shot back.

"I'm pretty sure they have food," Sharon chuckled, backing out of the driveway.

"I have a granola bar in my purse," Sage said, pulling her purse up into her lap from the floor of the car, and rummaging through it until she found the bar. She twisted in her seat and held the granola bar out to Bucky, who gratefully took it.

"You're such a good provider," he said appreciatively, making Steve and Sage laugh.

"Amazing," Steve muttered. Bucky wasn't the best at taking care of himself. Sure, he could survive just fine, but he probably wouldn't ever eat a square meal if he lived by himself. He could take care of himself, but he didn't actually _care._ Sage being the kind of person to keep granola bars in her purse and offer them to Bucky when he was cranky lifted a weight off of Steve that he didn't even realize he was carrying. He felt optimistic as Bucky tore into the granola bar, like things were heading in a genuinely good direction for his friend.

The country bar was actually much more like a true honky tonk. It was a large stand-alone building on the other side of town, surrounded by a large and full parking lot. It took Sharon a little while to find a parking spot, and they had to walk a few minutes to get to the back of the line to get in.

"I can't believe this is where you brought us," Bucky said quietly, looking around at all of the people in line ahead of them. Everyone was considerably older, and there were a quite a few cowboy hats, and more than enough denim.

"I don't think I'm dressed right for this," Steve said, agreeing with Bucky's fish-out-of-water sentiments. Neither one of them had ever been to this place, let alone any other kind of country bar. They didn't know what to expect, and what they were experiencing so far didn't help how badly they felt out of place. Sharon looked around at all of the people in their western wear in a different way. She'd been to a country bar once before with Sage, and it had been fun. It was nothing like she had ever experienced before, but they had had a blast.

Sage was almost giddy with excitement. She loved honky tonks and she loved taking new people to honky tonks. She grew up on country music and got her first pair of cowboy boots at the age of three. She learned how to square dance at school in the fourth grade, and had been two-stepping since she could walk. She was excited to share that with her best friend, Bucky, and Steve. She was especially excited to teach Bucky how to dance. Sage knew he would resist, but she had a feeling that with enough needling he'd get into it with her.

"First round's on me and I'm teaching y'all how to two-step," Sage turned around to face the boys, holding up an authoritative finger. Sharon laughed at the idea of the guys struggling on the dance floor, surrounded by dancing cowboys.

"What's the difference between two-step and line dancing?" Bucky asked warily.

"And square dancing?" Steve added.

"It says it in the name," Sharon laughed. Sage rolled her eyes.

"A square dance is in a square, a line dance is in a line," Sage said matter-of-factly. She wanted to add a 'duh'.

They foursome moved up in the line, and they each paid for their own covers and got their hands stamped with a stump shaped like a cow skull. Steve, Bucky, and Sharon stopped in their tracks once they stepped inside. The bar was huge on the inside. The place was dark with different colored stage lights flashing around the massive circular dance floor that had several disco balls hanging above. There were four different bars, one in each corner of the room. The walls were lined with cowboy paraphernalia, and different odds and ends like saddles and farm equipment were suspended from the ceiling. By the door stood a menagerie of fiberglass farm animals where a group of girls were taking photos. Bucky was willing to bet real money that there was a mechanical bull somewhere in that building.

Sage took the initiative and grabbed Sharon's hand, dragging her to the far end of the room. Sharon grabbed Steve's hand to drag him along, and Bucky trailed after. Sage led the train through throngs of people and found a grouping of bar-top tables. She leaned into Sharon's ear to tell her to find a table and she'd find them with drinks, having to yell over the blasting country music.

Sage had to wait in line at one of the bars for a few minutes, and ordered four double shots of Jack. It took her a few minutes to find her friends, and she had to be careful handling the four plastic cups while avoiding bumping into people.

"This place is crazy!" Bucky yelled over the music when Sage appeared at the table, handing out the shots. Sharon had found a table close to the railed-off dance floor, giving them a perfect view of the dancers. It seemed like everyone on the floor were professionals.

"Isn't it great!" Sage yelled back. The grin on her face appeared when she stepped into the building, and hadn't gone away yet. It was obvious to Bucky how excited she was to be there, and he was trying to make a conscious effort to step out of his comfort zone for her.

Sage and Sharon took their shots together without warning, leaving Steve and Bucky scrambling to catch up. The double shot went down a little rougher than Bucky was ready for and he couldn't help but cough.

"So who's dancing with me?" Sage asked the group, looking to each of her friends.

"I'll go," Sharon agreed, giving Steve and Bucky some much needed time to adjust to the setting. Sage grabbed Sharon's hand without wasting another second and swept her away from the table. Bucky and Steve tried to watch, but they lost the pair of girls in the crowd.

"Bucky looks so uncomfortable," Sharon giggled to Sage as they approached the dance floor.

"So does Steve!" Sage laughed. "I'll lead! Two steps, then one step," Sage explained simply before pulling Sharon onto the dance floor. Sharon had been made to two-step with Sage before, and she thought she knew what to expect. She was surprised at how easily it came to Sage, even leading. She navigated through the dance floor with ease, completely aware of the other dancing couples around them without ever looking away from Sharon. She went slow at first to give Sharon some time to get into the rhythm of the steps, and once she was they picked up speed and started bouncing around the floor, giggling up a storm.

The song ended and the girls decided to go for another. "Are you going to make Bucky dance?" Sharon asked, trying to find her boyfriend and his friend at their table.

"I'm making all of y'all dance," Sage chuckled. Sharon thought she could see Steve, but the next song started up and they were dancing again. It wasn't Sharon's first choice in Saturday night entertainment, but it was a fun activity. When the second song was over, Sage and Sharon were a little out of breath and thirsty, and abandoned the dance floor to find the guys again.

Sharon led Sage by the hand, weaving through the crowd until they reached their table where Bucky and Steve were waiting with a fresh round of shots and each working on their own beers.

"I had no idea you knew how to do this so well," Steve remarked, both impressed and amused at the talent he didn't know Sage had.

"Yeah, you two were pretty impressive," Bucky said then took a drink from his beer. Sharon took her waiting shot and leaned against the table.

"So who's next?" Sage asked, looking directly at Bucky. She was dying to take him on the dance floor. She didn't care about actually dancing with him, but she knew it would be funny. She wanted to have fun with him.

Bucky shook his head and held his hands up. "I'm not drunk enough for that," he declined. Sage rolled her eyes and threw back her shot.

"Then that leaves you, Steve," she said, grinning madly. Sharon laughed and pushed Steve towards Sage.

"I don't know," he started. "I'm having fun just watching," he said. He didn't know the protocol here. Was it OK to dance with your girlfriend's roommate? Sharon was encouraging it but he didn't feel right doing it. Sage's shoulders slumped and she frowned. Steve smiled apologetically.

"You need a partner?" a guy from the next table over leaned towards the group, addressing Sage. Everyone looked at the stranger in surprise, but Sage's surprise quickly vanished. She smiled warmly at the offer and didn't take longer than two seconds to think about accepting his offer.

Bucky watched in abject horror as Sage walked off with the guy. He was good looking and an absolute threat. He was built similarly to Bucky, but dressed way more appropriately for the setting, in blue jeans, square-toe cowboy boots, and a western style button-up plaid shirt. His square jaw was clean-shaven and his blonde hair was short and neat. Bucky resisted the childish urge to trip him as he passed.

"That's rough," Sharon laughed once Sage and the cowboy were gone. Bucky frowned at her, and turned his attention to the dance floor to see if he could find Sage in the crowd.

"I think there's a lesson in this somewhere," Steve added, taking a long sip of his beer.

"Don't get too freaked out. This happens all the time at places like this," Sharon said, trying to comfort Bucky.

"What happens all the time?" Bucky asked, stopping himself short of adding ' _random hicks asking out other guy's girls?'._

"People come here to dance. I bet we all get asked to dance by strangers at least once tonight," Sharon expanded. Even if it was just dancing, it still didn't sit well with Bucky. He was jealous. There was no denying it. He felt threatened, and like a massive bonfire had been lit under his ass. Sage was a fuckin' catch and it made perfect sense that there would be competition. He needed to act before he lost out.

Not long after the song was over, Sage came back to the table alone. The blonde guy was long-gone.

"So did you make a new friend?" Steve teased once Sage was in ear-shot.

"His breath smelled awful!" Sage pretended to gag, making Sharon laugh, and making Bucky feel relieved. He shifted his weight on his feet and shuffled a few steps closer to Sage, hoping that him standing so close to her would deter any future would-be suitors. Steve and Sharon both noticed the gesture and shared knowing looks.

Sage noticed it, too. She also noticed the way Bucky bristled when the guy first asked her to dance. She noticed the sour look on his face when she accepted. She could tell how unhappy he was about the whole thing, and she delighted in it. His jealousy told her that they were delaying the inevitable.

Sharon and Sage ventured off to the bar to gather another round of shots. Sage had decided that the only way to get anyone to have as much fun as she was having, was to get them all drunk. She paid for another round, and she and Sharon each carried two shots.

"Steve is definitely driving us home!" Sage announced as she and Sharon reached the table and took her shot, handing off the second shot to Bucky. Sharon laughed in agreement and took her own shot.

"I have a feeling it'll be more than just driving you guys home, at this rate," Steve chuckled.

"Yeah, like holding their hair and tucking them into bed with a bucket," Bucky agreed.

"Hush your mouth and take your shot," Sage pushed Bucky's arm. He rolled his eyes and took the shot in two sips. Sage's cheeks were rosy and she was gazing out at the dance floor, watching all of the dancing couples. Sharon and Steve were pressed into each other's sides, talking about god knows what. Bucky felt a swell of courage, and an even bigger swell of wanted to make Sage happy, so he swallowed his pride and his distaste for country music.

"Alright, teach me how to do this," Bucky said, relenting to the situation. He was here, so why not make the most of it? Sage turned to him with wide eyes and a huge grin, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He wrapped an arm her waist and led her over to the dance floor.

"I'll teach you how to lead," Sage said, smiling widely. It was infectious and Bucky smiled back.

Bucky pulled Sage into what he thought was a normal dancing position, one hand on her waist, and the other holding hers, but Sage was quick to correct him. She grabbed his hand form her waist and pulled it up to rest on her shoulder blade, resting her elbow atop his and laying her hand on top of his shoulder.

Sage didn't waste any time, and soon they were caught up in the flow of the other couples around the circular dance floor. Bucky picked up the steps quickly, and he could tell he was hardly a match for Sage, but she seemed to having a good time despite that. She kept them from colliding with other couples, because every time she smiled up at him, Bucky lost any trace of concentration he had.

She couldn't believe she was actually two-stepping with Bucky, and Sage couldn't help but laugh and smile through most of the song. Even Bucky would admit that he was actually having fun. When the song ended, Sage pulled out of positioning, grabbed Bucky by the cheeks to pull his face to hers, and kissed him. He grabbed her by the hips and led her off of the dance floor as the next song started to get out of the way, but he wasn't done kissing her.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" Sage asked, giggling, and stopping the kissing before it could go further. They were in public, after all.

"Not the worst thing I've ever done, but we're not making this a regular thing," he said, smirking, and even enjoying her "I told you so" smile.

"I can't wait to tell all of our friends that you Texas two-stepped," Sage teased. Bucky noticed her use of "our" and he really, really liked it. It felt inclusive and warm.

"I'm sure Sharon already sent out photos in the group text," Bucky said, lifting his gaze to see if he could find Sharon and Steve across the room. Going around in circles for five minutes really messed with his direction, and he wasn't sure what side of the room they were on anymore. Sage laughed at the thought, and actually secretly hoped that Sharon did capture the most likely once in a lifetime occurrence of Bucky dancing to country music.

"Come on, I'll by you some nachos," Sage pulled on Bucky's arm, directing him away from the edge of the dance floor and to the concession stand flanked by two large stuffed bison. This bar was a truly odd place.

The concession stand served pretty typical bar food, but gave it all hokey Western sounding names. Bucky and Sage decided to split a basket of nachos with jalapenos on the side. Sage fully intended to keep up her promise to pay, but Bucky beat her to it.

"I got this," Bucky told her, addressing her confused look as he handed cash over to the cashier, then dropping his change in the tip bucket.

"Oh, well, thank you," Sage said, following him to an empty bar-top table to stand and eat their food.

"No problem. I should probably pay anyway, if this is supposed to be a double date. Plus I'll probably eat most of this," he explained, digging into the nachos. Sage paused from trying to fish out a slice of jalapeno from the little plastic cup to smirk across the table at Bucky.

"Is this a double date?" she asked in a teasing tone, making Bucky shrug and blush.

"I just meant-" he started.

"Because if it is a double date, it's a pretty good one," Sage interrupted him. Knowing Sharon, she already had a pretty strong feeling why only the four of them were hanging out.

"Well, good," Bucky was pleased with Sage's words. It took a lot of the pressure off of him to define what they were doing. It seemed like they were all on the same page. "Because I wouldn't come here for just anyone."

Sage grinned. She knew he felt utterly uncomfortable in the country bar. It was crowded with people in cowboy hats and head-to-toe denim, blasting country music. Sage figured the amount of people in the room alone would have been enough to turn Bucky off. She appreciated his effort, that he was putting up with stuff he didn't like because he knew she liked it.

"Next time we'll go somewhere less intense," Sage promised, shoving a chip loaded with cheese and jalapeno into her mouth. The promise of a next time was exhilarating, and Bucky felt like how uncomfortable he felt was entirely worth it.

The pair finished their nachos in a matter of minutes, and went to rejoin Steve and Sharon on the other side of the dance floor. They spent a couple of more hours in the bar. Sage and Sharon took a few more shots, and managed to convince Bucky to also partake. Steve stopped drinking, knowing he'd definitely be responsible for everyone. Sage and Sharon danced together several more times, and Sage managed to convince Bucky to go around with her one more time before Steve decided it was late enough to call it a night. The girls were getting loud, sloppy, and just plain hard to manage.

Bucky wasn't so drunk that he couldn't help Steve corral the girls and convince them to leave. Bucky knew the best way to get out quickly was to distract Sage. He draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. He distracted her with talk of food, and man, didn't hot and salty French fries sound so good? She fell for it easily and let Bucky lead her towards the door. Steve and Sharon followed close behind, until Sage stopped dead in her tracks, looking around wildly like she forgot something until her eyes landed on Steve.

"We can't leave yet! Steve didn't get to dance!" Sage yelled. Steve's eyes widened in surprise and he fumbled for an excuse. Sharon's eyes went wide in surprise, too, and she stared up at him.

"Oh my god, you didn't! You weasel!" Sharon accused.

"He's got two left feet, you don't wanna see him dance," Bucky said in defense of Steve, trying to keep on track. They were so close to the door, and so close to leaving the loud music, pulsing lights, and large crowd.

"Next time," Steve told the girls, hoping it would appease them for now, and that they were drunk enough to forget about it. Sage narrowed her eyes in suspicion at him, but reluctantly let Bucky steer her back towards the door.

Once outside, the cool air felt like heaven. It took the group a while to remember where the car was parked, and to walk to it. Sage and Bucky fell into the back seat together, laughing, as Steve and Sharon took their seats up front.

Everyone decided that even though they were done with the bar, they weren't quite ready to call it a night completely, and decided to all go back to Steve and Bucky's house to hang out. Steve tried to refuse multiple requests to go through a drive-thru, but then Sharon started pressuring him, too, so he relented.

Back at the house, they all sat around the table on the back porch, eating their food, talking, and laughing. It was fun, easy, and comfortable. Sage got up and excused herself to pee, and resisted the urge to snoop in anymore bathroom drawers. She knew Steve and Bucky well enough at this point to not feel that curiosity, and to want to avoid privacy invasion. On her way back from the bathroom, Sage paused in the kitchen to get a very large glass of water. She was going to force herself to drink as much of it as she could, to save herself the pain in the morning.

"What is that?" Bucky asked as Sage came back to the table, twisting in his seat to watch her take a drink from the cup.

"Water," she answered. He reached out for the cup.

"Let me have some of that, I'm dying," he said, rather than asked.

Sage narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head. "Not with that attitude," she said. Bucky rolled his eyes and reached out, grabbing hold of Sage's jacket and pulling her closer to him so he could snatch the cup out of her hands.

"If you make me spill on this suede jacket, I'll kick your ass," Sage warned, but giggled despite herself. Bucky turned in the swivel chair and pulled Sage even closer, both laughing now. Sage nearly lost her balance as he tugged, and he guided her down onto his lap to avoid her falling over.

"Quit your fussin'," Sage warned, handing over the cup. Bucky choked on the water, and Steve and Sharon laughed loudly at the phrase.

"What did you just say?" Bucky and Steve asked at the same time through their laughter.

"Shut up," Sage said, trying to be stern but smiling in spite of herself.

"She turns into a belle if you get her just the right amount of drunk," Sharon laughed.

"Sharon, you're form Virginia! You're Southern, too!" Sage shot back.

"They're different kinds of Southern and you know it," Sharon retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair. Steve did his best to change the topic and steer the conversation away from arguing about who was more Southern.

At first, sitting in Bucky's lap was unexpected and awkward, but he had one arm around her back, hand resting on her hip, and the other hand resting on her knee, and she realized that she wasn't about to go anywhere any time soon. So Sage relaxed and leaned into Bucky, settling in. She found that sitting like that was actually pretty cozy and comfortable. Bucky felt her relax, and reflexively held on a little bit tighter.

Eventually, Sharon complained about the cold, and she and Steve went inside. Sage had no idea what time it was, but it seemed like she and Sharon would be staying the night. Nobody wanted the night to come to an end.

"Are you cold?" Bucky asked, looking at Sage. She was so close that he felt like he might have gone cross-eyed.

"I'm OK," Sage answered him. She pulled away from him a bit to pull her arm out from between their bodies, then draped it across his shoulders and settled back against his chest. She looked down at him, and they smiled at each other.

"Did you have a good night?" Bucky asked, delaying the inevitable.

"It was pretty fun," Sage answered.

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile so much," he said, commenting on something he had been thinking about almost all night.

"It just felt a little bit like home, and it was nice to share that with y'all," Sage explained. "Especially you," she added, feeling like she was way out on a limb with a risky admission. Sage didn't typically make herself vulnerable by expressing feelings, and she felt exposed. But it seemed worth it.

Bucky chose not to say anything. Instead, he leaned forward, pressing his lips to her own. "I had fun, too," he said, pulling back just far enough to speak. His breath was warm on her face, and Sage felt both flushed and chilled. A chill ran up her spine, though she wasn't sure if it was from a cold breeze or Bucky.

Bucky kissed her again, slow and sweet. Their lips moved languidly and intentionally. Sage slid her hand from Bucky's shoulder to the back of his neck, softly twisting her fingers through his long hair. Her other hand was pressed against his chest, fingers splayed wide against his t-shirt underneath his field jacket. Bucky shifted in his seat, sitting up straighter. The sudden shift startled Sage, and she reflexively grabbed a fistful of his shirt and tugged on his hair, which seemed to embolden Bucky. He pressed a little harder and faster, with much more intensity. Their kissing had turned hungry. And then a real gust of cold wind blew through the covered porch. The cold air felt good on Sage's hot cheeks, and she had no intention of stopping or going anywhere, but Bucky pulled back and stared directly into her eyes.

"Let's go inside," he said. Sage didn't know if he meant to get out of the cold and maybe join Steve and Sharon who were probably watching TV, or if he meant to go back into his room and rip each other's clothes off. Sage really hoped he meant the latter.

Sage carefully got out of Bucky's lap and stepped back to give him room to get up from the chair. He took her hand and led her across the porch and inside. He made sure to lock the door behind him and turn off the lights. Sage could hear the TV in the living room, and it sounded like Sharon and Steve were watching _Friends_. The living room lights were off, but from the glow of the TV, Sage could see that Sharon and Steve were just cuddling on the couch. Sharon didn't seem to notice her and Bucky quietly passing through, but Steve looked up and smiled.

The hallway was dark, and Sage was glad Bucky was leading the way. His room seemed to be even darker, thanks to his blackout curtains. Bucky dropped her hand to cross the room and turn on the lamp next to his bed. Sage looked around in admiration.

He had completely cleaned up his room in the half a day since she had been there last. All of his schoolbooks, and stacks for blue books waiting to be graded or handed back to students were neatly stacked on top of his desk, next to a slightly dinged up laptop covered in stickers. His nightstands were clear of half-empty water glasses and Gatorade bottles, leaving just two mismatched lamps and an alarm clock. His bed was made, the stereotypical guy's charcoal plaid bedspread was pulled tightly across the mattress, showing that he did indeed learn how to make a bed in the military. His walls were painted a nice navy blue. The one large window above Bucky's desk was covered with dark gray curtains, thumbtacked to the wall so that absolutely no gaps of light could seep through past the blackout curtains. All in all, it was a guy's room, complete with posters tacked to the wall. But it was very neat and tidy now.

"Wow, is this Steve's room? It's so clean," Sage teased. Bucky rolled his eyes but smiled as she approached her, his hands connecting with her waist. Sage slid both hands up his arms and across his shoulders until they reached the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

"Smartass," he muttered before kissing her. They carried on kissing each other for what felt like ages. It was a lot warmer inside, and Sage eventually removed her hands from Bucky's hair to pull her arms out of her jacket and shrug it off, all without disconnecting her mouth from his. She let the jacket fall to the floor and felt instant relief. Bucky took the opportunity and let his hands roam up her back and sides. Sage's hands ran across Bucky's chest and under his jacket, pushing it out of the way until Bucky finally realized she was trying to get him out of it. He pulled his hands away from Sage's body to rip the jacket off and drop it on the ground before quickly resuming his explorations.

With one hand firmly tangled in Bucky's hair, Sage's other hand wandered to his hips, messing with the hem of his shirt until she ducked it under the fabric, her chilled hand meeting the warm skin of his side. Bucky took a slow step back towards his bed, pulling Sage with him. He took a few more steps, Sage in sync with them.

When he was finally backed up against the bed, Bucky turned himself and Sage so that his left leg and her right leg were up against the bed. He lifted his leg and lowered his knee onto the mattress, and guided Sage down onto the bed until she was laying down. He half hovered over her, leaning his weight onto his elbow.

Sage began work again on his shirt, her hands wandering back underneath it. She was content to run her hands up and down his strong back for a while, and very slowly worked it up his torso. She was having a fine time taking things slow.

Bucky heard pounding footsteps coming down the hallway, and for a split second his mind wandered away from himself and Sage in his bed. He pulled back, startled by the unexpected noise. He was on alert, until he heard the bathroom door slam shut, and then the sounds of Sharon violently throwing up in the toilet brought him back to reality.

The interruption confused Sage until she realized what had caught Bucky's attention. She yanked a hand out of Bucky's shirt to cover her mouth, trying not to laugh hysterically at the sound of Sharon puking. The grossed out look on Bucky's face made that task even more difficult.

Bucky rolled up into a sitting position as he heard Steve coming down the hall, calling Sharon's name and asking if she was OK. Sage had to clap both hands over her mouth and bite down on her lip to keep from laughing too loudly, and Bucky smiled at her over his shoulder.

"Is it that funny?" Bucky asked quietly so that Steve wouldn't hear. Even though the door was closed, the bathroom door was only a few feet away from his, and Steve was standing right between the two. He'd be able to hear them speaking at a regular volume.

Sage shook her head, but couldn't stop squirming with laughter. She was red in the face and had tears in her eyes.

"Sharon?" Steve kept calling, but Sharon couldn't even answer. "Can I come in?"

Sage had to force herself to calm down. She of course felt bad that Sharon was sick, but it was also just so funny somehow. She was still pretty drunk, drunker than she thought she was. She sat up and took a deep breath.

"Oh my god," Sage breathed. "Talk about a cock block," she joked, and stood up. She straightened out her shirt and strode to the door, throwing it open and pushing Steve out of the way. Bucky stared after her, taken aback by the comment. Were they really just about to do… _more?_

Sage went into the bathroom without knocking, asking, or even announcing, and closed the door in Steve's face.

"Look at you, you beautiful mess," Steve and Bucky heard Sage say sweetly to Sharon, as Bucky joined Steve in the hallway. The sounds of heaving and toilet flushing had stopped.

Sharon was sitting cross-legged on the bathroom floor directly in front of the toilet, with her head in her hands. She looked up at Sage pathetically. She had managed to keep her hair out of the way, but it was now plastered to the side of her sweaty face. Her eye makeup was smudged.

"The spicy chicken nuggets were a mistake," Sharon croaked.

"Don't you dare blame this on the spicy chicken nuggets," Sage jokingly scolded. "But they probably didn't pair well with the 800 shots of Jack you had."

"Oh my god, shut up," Sharon looked away in disgust. "Don't say that again," she warned.

"Hey, where do y'all keep hand towels?" Sage yelled, knowing that Steve and Bucky were still in the hallway.

"Cabinet above the toilet," Steve answered through the door. Sage leaned over Sharon to open the cabinet and pull out a hand towel. She ran it under the faucet, wrang it out, and handed it to Sharon to clean her face up.

"Do y'all have any Gatorade?" Sage yelled again. She doubted Sharon would want to drink anything so soon after vomiting, but she wanted to give the guys something to do to get them away from the door.

Sharon wiped her face clean, covering the hand towel in her makeup. Sage opened up the second drawer and rummaged around until she found one of Bucky's hair ties. She handed it off to Sharon to pull her hair off of her face and neck. She pulled it up and twisted it into a neat bun. Sage then handed her an opened bottle of Listerine.

Steve left to go see if there was any Gatorade left in the refrigerator, and Bucky followed, not wanting to hang out outside of the bathroom door by himself and to give Sharon some privacy.

"So that's a nice shade of lipstick on you," Steve commented, smirking and flipping on the kitchen lights. Bucky immediately wiped at his mouth, surprised to see a red residue on his fingers. He hadn't even noticed Sage was wearing lipstick.

"Shut up," was all Bucky could think to say.

"This didn't interrupt anything, did it?" Steve asked, searching through the cluttered fridge for an untouched and unopened bottle of Gatorade.

"We weren't naked if that's what you're asking," Bucky said, crossing his arms and leaning against the countertop.

"Yet," Steve added.

"Look in the crisper," Bucky ignored the comment. "I hid one in there earlier."

Steve opened the drawer to find an new bottle haphazardly covered up by a bag of baby carrots. "Saving it for tomorrow?" he asked.

"I was, but she needs it more," Bucky said, giving Steve the OK.

Back in the bathroom, Sage had sat down on the floor with Sharon. They both sat next to each other, backs leaning against the cabinet doors.

"You guys weren't doing it, were you?" Sharon whispered, her head leaned back against the cabinet and her eyes closed. She had a fresh hand towel drenched in cold water, draped over her forehead and eyes.

"Not yet," Sage laughed. Sharon pulled the towel from her face and stared wide eyed and smiling at her roommate.

"Really?" she giggled, surprised that they would be moving so fast.

"I don't know. Probably not," Sage shrugged. "We're both kind of drunk and we _just_ kissed last night."

"People do a lot more a lot sooner," Sharon countered.

"I'm not trying to hit it and quit it," Sage said, looking at Sharon. She had heard both boys walk away to the kitchen, so she felt relatively safe talking about this, and she hadn't heard them come back yet.

"Are you trying to hit it and keep it?" Sharon asked slowly, trying to work through the wording, unsure if it made sense out loud.

"Yeah, maybe," Sage admitted. "So you're done puking right?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I think so," Sharon sighed.

"Do you wanna go home?" Sage asked. She herself didn't want to go home, but she'd go with Sharon to take care of her. Approaching footsteps told her that Bucky and Steve had returned. Steve knocked lightly on the door and cracked the door open just enough to stick his hand holding the bottle of Gatorade through. Sage reached over from her seat on the floor and pulled the door open all the way.

"You doing OK?" Steve asked hesitantly, holding out the bottle to Sage who took it and twisted off the top, and handed it to Sharon.

"I feel a lot better," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Steve told her kindly. "It happens." Bucky stood out in the hall silently, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, waiting to see what was going to become of the night. He looked up and met eyes with Sage, and they smiled at each other apologetically. Bucky wasn't sure what he felt sorry for. Sage felt sorry for leaving. She hadn't wanted to stop what they were doing, but she couldn't let Sharon be alone.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Steve asked. Sharon looked at Sage to see what she thought, and hesitantly nodded after Sage smiled at her reassuringly. Sage pulled herself to her feet and she and Steve helped Sharon up. Bucky disappeared down the hall and came back a moment later with Sharon's jacket and two purses, one Sharon's and one Sage's. Sage left Sharon with Steve to get her jacket out of Bucky's room.

Steve walked Sharon to the living room to help her into her jacket and wait for Sage.

"I'm sorry," Sage told Bucky, picking up her jacket from the floor and slipping it on.

"Don't be," he told her. It wasn't her fault. And maybe it was for the best. He didn't know where things would have gone if they hadn't been interrupted.

"Rain check?" she asked hopefully.

Bucky smiled and nodded. "Rain check," he agreed. He leaned in to kiss her lips quickly. "I'll talk to you later," he promised.

"Good night," she said, heading towards his bedroom door. Bucky smiled in response and followed her out of his room and down the hall.

"You mind if I drive your car?" Steve asked Sharon. She shook her head and fished around in her purse for her keys, handing them off to Steve. It looked like despite how the night was going, Bucky would be sleeping alone in a completely empty house, since Steve would be stuck on Sharon's place until she felt well enough to drive him back home in the morning. Sage smiled at him apologetically before following Steve and Sharon out of the door.

Bucky stood and watching everyone get into his car from the front door, and waited until Steve backed out of the driveway to close the door and go to bed. It was late and he'd had a very long day. But as Bucky got ready for bed, and finally laid down in the dark alone, he didn't feel very sleepy. He was practically humming with energy. His body was tense. He realized his toes were tightly curled, he was clutching his comforter with tight fists, and his jaw felt tense as he ground his teeth. He had gotten very worked up with no release, and now he was left to stew in his thoughts of what could have been. He and Sage probably weren't ready to go all the way. He didn't think he was even really ready for intimacy with anyone. Sure, he craved it, but there were a lot of emotional and psychological implications that he wasn't quite prepared to deal with. But for the first time in a while, he felt ready and willing to work past that. It seemed worth it, like worth working towards because of Sage. And he wanted to work towards it fast.


	16. Hey, No Pressure

Hi y'all! Happy almost Thanksgiving to all the Americans out there! We get another Avenger in this chapter, or at least mention of one. I'm sure y'all will be able to guess who it is! Thank you to everyone who reviews/favorites/etc. It means the world to me and you're all gems.

"Part One – Hey, No Pressure" by Ray LaMontagne

* * *

Going home early that Saturday night had been a disappointment for everyone involved. Sharon felt embarrassed and sorry that she got sick and ruined the night for herself and everyone else. Steve felt sorry that his girlfriend got sick and blamed herself. Bucky felt sorry that they felt sorry and that what had been a _really_ good night, probably the best night in _years_ came to an abrupt halt. And Sage felt sorry for all of those things. She and Bucky texted each other nonstop since then, though, starting from Sage texting him from the backseat of Sharon's car as Steve drove them home.

Sharon and Steve both noticed the way their roommates smiled every time their phone dinged with a new text notification, and that was pretty damn often. The little ponging noise was starting to drive Steve crazy, but then he'd see how happy Bucky looked, and his annoyance faded.

Midterms were officially upon Sage, and she was, for the most part, on top of her work. Texting Bucky every waking second was a little distracting, but she went into and left her first midterm exam feeling confident. She saw Bucky briefly after their class on Tuesday, and she so wanted to hang out with him until her next class, but she promised to meet with Wanda to go over notes over a platter of discounted sushi. She wanted to spend more time with him, but didn't get the chance until Wednesday night.

Sharon and Sage packed up their backpacks and headed to the library to meet up with Steve and Bucky. Sharon had a paper to finish, and Sage was worried about her first exam in Phillips' class. She was hoping Bucky would have some insight, and at the very least offer some support.

Sharon and Sage found the guys camped out at a table in the basement, surrounded by books, papers, stray pens, and tangled laptop chargers and headphones cords. The girls had to carve out room on the table for their own things, and by the end of the night, everyone had to take special care that they weren't accidentally packing away some else's constitutional law notes, or someone's research on Fauvism.

"Hey, before I forget," Sharon started as everyone headed towards the stairs, "Tell everyone not to make any plans for next Saturday."

"OK," Steve agreed, "but what's next Saturday?"

"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Bucky guessed, looking over to Sage. She was actually impressed that he remembered.

"Yes it is," Sharon answered for her roommate.

"So what are we doing?" Steve asked, looking over his shoulder to Sage. She shrugged. She hadn't given it much thought.

"We might have a party, we might go out. I'll let everyone know when we decided, but for now just save the date," Sharon explained.

"Do we have to dress up?" Bucky asked. Sharon looked back at him, confused. He remembered how Sage told him that she'd always had costume parties when she was younger, due to her birthday being the day before Halloween. He assumed she'd uphold that tradition.

"Like for Halloween?" Sharon asked.

"Yes!" Sage answered definitively, smiling for Bucky's thoughtfulness.

"What are you going to be?" Steve asked. He wasn't really into costumes, but he'd participate for Sage's birthday. He definitely wouldn't be winning any Best Costume awards, but he'd at least put in a little effort. Bucky felt pretty much the same way. He never would have dressed up in a costume to go out on Halloween weekend if it weren't for Sage and her birthday.

"I don't know yet," Sage said thoughtfully. Figuring out what to dress up as for Halloween wasn't even on the bottom of her recent to-do list. With tests and papers due left and right, she had bigger things to worry about.

Steve tried to insist on driving the girls home, or at least walking home with them, but Sage and Sharon resisted.

"Just let him drive you guys home before he has an aneurysm," Bucky whispered to Sage while Sharon and Steve argued about independence and chivalry. Sage chuckled, knowing that Sharon was fighting a losing battle.

"Did you guys ride here together on his bike?" Sage asked him, trying to picture Bucky riding bitch on Steve's motorcycle.

"Oh, yeah, then let me drive you guys home," Bucky shook his head, remembering that he drove to the library.

"In that case," Sage started, then turned to Steve and Sharon and shouted "Shotgun!" interrupting the arguing couple.

"What? No way, that's not how shotgun works!" Sharon protested.

"When _your_ boyfriend drives us home, you can get shotgun. Until then, you get backseat," Sage explained to Sharon, tugging on Bucky's arm to head towards the parking lot behind the library. If Bucky had been drinking anything, he probably would have done a spit take. Did Sage just kind of, in a roundabout way, call him her boyfriend? Sharon rolled her eyes, but followed Sage and Bucky, with Steve trailing after. He was just trying to keep his girlfriend from getting mugged or murdered on her way home, so how did it turn into an argument about him not trusting her?

Sage waited for Bucky to unlock her door form the inside and climbed into his Jeep. Steve and Sharon climbed into the backseat as Bucky started up the car.

"So how old are you going to be?" Steve asked from the backseat. He realized that he didn't actually know how old Sage was, but she seemed to be around the same age as everyone else. Then Steve realized that he and all of his friends were all different ages. He and Bucky were the oldest at 26, and everyone else fell in between them and Laura who was the youngest at 22.

"24," Sage answered. Bucky considered her answer for a moment. It pretty much lined up with how old he thought she was, based on how she acted and how long she'd been in school.

The drive to Sharon and Sage's apartment building was short, and Bucky pulled up to the curb outside within only a few minutes from leaving the library. Sage gathered her backpack in her lap and waited until Sharon and Steve got out of the car to lean over the center console and kiss Bucky quickly before jumping out of the front seat, leaving the door open. Steve climbed into the now vacant front seat and they watched the girls until they were safely inside.

"Do I have to get her a present?" Bucky asked Steve as he drove them home. Steve thought for a minute.

"I don't know," Steve started. "I don't think she'll expect one, she doesn't seem like the type," he said.

"Yeah, she's pretty down to earth," Bucky agreed, relieved to not have the pressure of trying to find an appropriate birthday gift for Sage. He wouldn't even know where to start.

"But I think it would be a nice gesture," Steve said. Even when he and Sharon were just friends, and not even that good of friends at that point, Steve had gotten her a present for her last birthday.

"You think so?" Bucky asked, instantly filled with anxiety. What did you buy for a girl that you liked, and had made out with a few times, and were probably dating, but you weren't officially dating? Jewelry? He couldn't afford anything nice. But he'd never seen her wear nice jewelry, so maybe she wouldn't even like that. And maybe that wasn't appropriate for the stage of their relationship.

"I think she would be surprised and touched," said Steve. "It doesn't have to be anything big. She'd probably be thrilled with a card."

Bucky agreed with Steve. She'd probably just be happy to know that he thought about her even just a little bit. A card seemed like a nice idea, until he wondered what the hell he would write in it. It was already pretty late when they got home, but instead of going to sleep, Bucky spent the next few hours scouring Amazon for ideas.

The next day in Phillips' class was exam day, and Sage showed up thirty minutes early. In their previous class, Professor Phillips announced that Bucky would be there early before the test to answer any last minute burning questions. Sage didn't think she had any last minute burning questions, but she wanted to show up early for Bucky. The lecture hall had about twenty students scattered throughout, pouring over their notes. Bucky sat on top of the desk at the front of the room, a large to-go cup of coffee in his hands. Every few minutes someone would raise their hand and shout a question down to him for him to answer. He always answered briefly, feeling that if he had to explain any topic in depth, then it wasn't worth it at this point. If someone didn't know something this close to the test, then they just didn't know it. A few brave souls straight up asked him for specific details about the test, as if he had personally assisted the professor in making it, or had at least seen it. Bucky didn't know what the test looked like any better than anyone else in the class.

Bucky tried to keep his train of thought as he talked about German weaponry as Sage walked through the door, smiling and waving as she passed him. She kept her head down, skimming her notes the entire session. Slowly more students trickled in, until the lecture hall was completely full, and Phillip's entered the room. It took he and Bucky a few minutes to pass out scantrons and blue books. Sage hoped Bucky would come up the steps on her side of the hall, but she got Phillips instead.

"Glad to see you're on time," Professor Phillips said, handing Sage a stack of papers to pass down to the rest of her row. Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline and her face, ears, and neck turned hot and red. He was gone before Sage could say anything back, not that she could think of anything to respond with. She was shocked that he even remembered her.

It took a few minutes to shake off the embarrassment and get focused on her test, but Sage ended up finishing with a spare ten minutes She had been worried that she would run out of time and would have to hand in a half-finished exam. She took the extra time to go over everything, making sure all of her scantron bubbles were filled in all the way, and that she had followed all of the directions carefully. She was paranoid that Phillips would slip in some sort of trick, even though he was a straightforward kind of guy.

After she handed her finished exam directly to Phillips, Sage sat on a bench in the hallway to wait for Bucky. She clutched her notes for her philosophy exam that she would be taking in just a few short hours, skimming through them while she waited. After sitting there for about ten minutes, Bucky finally left the room, spotted Sage on the bench, and sat down heavily next to her, startling her from her notes.

"Wow, you look tired," she laughed, taking in his appearance. She was too far away in the lecture hall to notice his tired eyes and the bags under them and his dirty hair pulled back into a messy version of a bun.

"I stayed up way too late last night," he grumbled, leaning his head back against the wall. Sage assumed he stayed up late studying, but really spent most of his time on the Internet looking for a suitable birthday present.

"I'm meeting Wanda to study last minute, but I have enough time to buy you coffee and a muffin," Sage said, stuffing her notes back into her backpack and standing up. She grabbed Bucky's hands to pull him up to this feet. Once up, he pulled his hands from hers, grabbed her waist, and pulled her close.

"Make it a Danish and you've got a deal," he said, smiling down at her. Sage smiled back.

"Deal. What flavor?" she asked, snaking her arms around his middle and clasping her hands together behind his back.

"I better not be looking at a conflict of interest," Professor Phillips' deep voice startled Sage and Bucky. They turned to where Phillips stood outside of the door, carrying a box of completed exams. His face was as neutral and stoic as always, but the truly startled and scared expressions on his TA and student's faces made him smirk a little. He walked off before either Sage or Bucky could respond.

"He's just joking," Bucky finally spoke, pulling Sage down the hall in the opposite direction.

"You don't sound so sure," Sage observed.

"If anyone gets in trouble, it's me," he said. "And I want a cheese Danish."

The worry of any repercussions stuck with Sage for a while, but were quickly forgotten once she met up with Wanda. Their philosophy midterm ended up being a breeze, and both girls finished with plenty of time to spare. They met up in the hallway outside of their classroom when they were done.

"I spent so much time studying for _that_ ," Wanda said, swinging her messenger bag up onto her shoulder as she approached Sage.

"At least its over," Sage shrugged.

"I promised my brother I'd go to the store with him when I was done, so I guess I should get going," Wanda said, walking towards the exit of the building with Sage.

"I think I earned a nice nap," Sage said, putting her hands into her pockets to preemptively protect them from the cold fall air.

"Oh, a nap sounds amazing," Wanda agreed.

"Hey, before I forget, I'm inviting you to my birthday next weekend," Sage said, wanting to give Wanda a heads up before she forgot and Wanda made other plans. "Pietro, too."

"Alright," Wanda agreed. "I'll definitely be there. Pietro has a show Friday night."

"Perfect, I was thinking Saturday night," Sage smiled. Wanda returned the smile and promised that she and her brother would be there. Sage told her she'd text her the details as she came up with them, and went home to fall into bed for a highly anticipated nap. She had another text the next day, and she knew she'd be up studying late again.

Once midterms were out of her way, Sage prepared for a quiet weekend where she'd do nothing but binge watch _Downton Abbey_. She was ready for a quiet weekend to herself with no worries or responsibilities. She hadn't had a ton of time to just veg out and hang out with Sharon, either. She was always busy with her different extracurricular, her own friends, and now her new boyfriend. Sharon had been great about including Sage in as much as she could, but they were over due for quality time, just the two of them.

Sharon was busy Friday night, giving Sage the apartment to herself. She spread out on the couch with the quilt from her bed and started her marathon. She was out cold by the time Sharon came home around three. When she woke up to a turned off TV and a dark room, she moved to her bed and slept until eleven the next day, resuming her binge watch on her laptop in her bed.

"You're taking this relaxing weekend way too seriously," Sharon laughed, standing in Sage's doorway. The only light in the room came from either the laptop screen or filtering through the eyelet lace curtains. Sage was wrapped up in her quilt, surrounded by pillows.

"Don't judge me," she said, reaching out from the quilt to press pause on her laptop.

"Do you have any interest in doing anything this evening?" Sharon asked. She had a feeling that she knew the answer but wanted to ask Sage anyway.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Sage confirmed Sharon's suspicions.

"Happy binging," Sharon laughed, leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Sage could hear Sharon puttering around the apartment every once in a while, while she continued watching her show, and then she eventually fell asleep.

Some time later, something pulled Sage from her deep sleep. She tried to hold onto sleep, but she got an eerie feeling that told her she wasn't alone. The more she woke up, the more she felt like she really wasn't, and then she became aware of a heavy weight behind her, and could feel and hear breathing. All of the clues clicked together, and Sage realized that she really wasn't alone, and the second she realized it, she shrieked and lashed out, pulling away from the person laying down behind her while also trying to land a blow.

Feminine laughter was the last thing Sage expected to hear, but she was still freaked out. Her room was completely dark by now and she was scared and bewildered. The bedroom door flew open and the overhead light flicked on. Sage looked back and forth between a laughing Natasha and a worried looking Steve, standing in the doorway to see what the shouting was about. Her heart was still pounding and her breathing heavy. She was so confused.

"What the fuck?" Sage breathed, trying to calm herself down.

"I told you not to scare her," Steve chided. Clint showed up behind Steve, peering over his shoulders to see what happened. Sage's hair was a mess and she couldn't look any more confused.

"Why is everyone in my room?" Sage whined. "And what time is it?"

"It's 8:45 and we're going out," Natasha said, sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed to plant her feet on the floor.

"Oh my god," Sage whined again, putting her face in her hands. She felt gross. Her mouth was dry and her head felt so cloudy from sleeping for so long.

Sharon pushed past the peanut gallery of guys standing in the doorway. "Sorry, this wasn't planned," she explained to Sage. She knew that her roommate wouldn't be actually angry about the intrusion, but she felt like the situation needed some explaining.

"No, we crashed they're date and now we're dragging you along with us," Natasha said, standing up and ripping the quilt away from Sage.

"Hey!" Sage reached out to try and save her quilt but moved way too slow.

"What is this?" Natasha asked, picking up a silver wrapper that was buried under the quilt. "Poptarts in bed? Really?" She tossed the wrapper onto the bedside table and fixed Sage with a disappointed stare.

"This is my day off! Don't shame me!" Sage defended herself, sitting up against her pillows and crossing her arms against her chest.

"If it's your day off, then come out with us," Clint said from his spot in the doorway next to Steve. He was trying to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, but Steve was just so much taller.

"Fat chance," Sage snorted.

"You don't have to come out with us," Steve said, coming to her aid. "In fact, none of you do," he said to Natasha and Clint, hinting at the fact that he didn't exactly appreciate having his date crashed.

"That ship has sailed, bro," Clint said almost apologetically.

"We just need a little dry shampoo, I'll do you're makeup, and you'll be ready in ten minutes, tops," Natasha reasoned, going to Sage's closet.

"I don't really think you have a choice here," Sharon sighed. She, too, had been looking forward to a nice quiet evening with just her and Steve, but then they ran into Clint and Natasha and everything went downhill from there. Sage didn't want to add to the burden that Steve and Natasha were facing, and she didn't want to go out, but she got an idea and saw an opportunity to save their date night.

"I'll go out," Sage started, ready to negotiate, "but not with the couple." Clint and Natasha looked to each other, considering the proposal.

"Fine, but you're wearing this," Natasha agreed, ripping a shirt off a hanger and throwing it in Sage's face.

"Go before we change our minds," Clint told Steve and Sharon. Sharon smiled appreciatively at her roommate, grabbed Steve's hand, and dragged him out of the apartment as soon as she could.

Natasha had Sage looking presentable in her promised ten minutes. The three of them were sitting on a bar patio with drinks in hand in another thirty minutes.

"So what are we doing for your birthday next weekend?" Clint asked.

"I was thinking a strip club," Sage joked.

"The kind I would enjoy or are we talking _Magic Mike_?" Clint asked. He knew she meant the latter.

"Sharon said we're going out," Natasha said. "And that we have to wear a costume."

"What Sharon says, goes," Sage agreed.

"Laura's gonna wanna do some cutesy couples costume," Clint groaned.

"Don't start. You guys were peanut butter and jelly last year," Natasha warned. "And I know you picked it out."

"I think couples costumes are cute!" Sage said. She liked it when people got into costumes, especially as couples or groups. It took more effort and thought, and she thought it was sweet.

"Yeah? So what are you and Bucky going to be?" Natasha asked, arching a delicate eyebrow. She had good eyebrows. Sage wondered if she did them herself, because they looked like professional work. Then she remembered that Natasha had done her eyebrows once before. The girl could definitely be a professional makeup artist or beautician if college didn't work out. Sage realized that she didn't even know what Natasha's major was. She never talked about it. Sage stopped thinking about Natasha's eyebrows when she realized what the redhead actually said, and what she was implying.

"Who told you?" Sage asked. Clint choked on his drink and Natasha started laughing.

"Oh my god, I was kidding!" Natasha said. "I can't say that I'm surprised, though."

"Yeah, no kidding. We all saw this coming from a mile away," Clint agreed, voice rough from coughing a few times to clear the beer from his windpipe.

"Fuck," Sage swore, leaning over the table and dramatically smacking her head onto the table. Her forehead hit the table a little harder than she planned, but she resisted the need to rub at it to save at least a little face.

"You have to tell us what happened," Natasha urged.

"Who came on to who?" Clint echoed.

"Are you just hooking up? Or dating? Was it a one time thing?" Natasha continued.

"When did it happen?" Clint added.

"I think I technically kissed him first," Sage sat up, resigning herself to their questions. Now that they knew something had happened, it was inevitable that they'd find out the rest sooner or later anyway. She just hoped that Bucky wouldn't be mad that she was telling Clint and Natasha about it, and that soon everyone else would probably know, too. Sage didn't think it was a big secret, though, since Steve and Sharon knew.

"That's hot," Clint encouraged.

"When?" Natasha asked.

"Um, last week? After that party on Hanover."

"It's been a week and we haven't found out about it?" Clint asked, impressed. He or Natasha were usually much more up to speed on the gossip in their group. They were like the little spies in the gang.

"We went on what I think was supposed to be a double date last weekend with Steve and Sharon," Sage revealed. She figured that since the cat was already out of the bag, she might as well fill them in on everything they'd missed.

"When Sharon threw up?" Natasha asked. She knew a lot more than Sage realized.

"Yeah. We went to that country bar across town."

"You're kidding," Clint's jaw dropped. "I'd pay real money to see Steve and Bucky at the Broken Spoke."

"He must be drinking the Kool-Aid if he agreed to go to a big dance club, especially a country Western themed one," Natasha noted with raised eyebrows, then took a delicate sip of her vodka soda.

"What do you mean?" Sage asked dumbly.

"She means he's really fucking into you to go through that kind of torture," Clint explained simply. Sage knew it wasn't Bucky's usual scene, but she didn't realize it was so out of character for him. Obviously Sage knew that there was a mutual attraction between her and Bucky, but the way Clint spoke made it sound like a lot more. Her heart swelled with nervous hope. She was pleased by the notion; it made her feel giddy, and that was a new feeling.

"Holy shit, guess the feeling's mutual," Clint grinned. He and Natasha both noticed the self-satisfied little smirk on Sage's face.

"Shut up," Sage tried to warn, but she couldn't keep the smile from her voice. She didn't sound threatening at all.

"How cute, it's like a porno," Clint chuckled. Sage and Natasha both shook their heads in confusion and stared at Clint. "You know, cute bubbly transfer student and the brooding TA," Clint explained with a shrug. Natasha shook her head and took another drink.

"That's not against the rules, is it?" Sage asked. She was no longer concerned about Clint's comparing her and Bucky to a porn plot. He reminded her of what had happened after her history midterm, when Professor Phillips had caught them in the hallway.

"I don't know, is it Natasha?" Clint turned to his friend, smirking pointedly. Natasha glared at him, but sighed.

"Technically, yes it is," she answered grimly. "Anyone in direct supervision of a student is pretty much forbidden to have a romantic or sexual relationship."

Sage's heart sank. Was she in trouble now? Did she get Bucky into trouble? Professor Phillips was his mentor and was helping him graduate. Phillips and Bucky had a history. Phillips trusted Bucky. And along comes Sage to mess it all up. Would Bucky lose his credit? Would he be put on academic probation? Would he get expelled? Would he be in legal trouble? Sage's mind raced through all of the horrible outcomes Bucky could possibly face if Phillips turned them in, and then she realized that she was on the hook, too. Would she fail the class? Get kicked out of school? Her dad would _literally_ skin her alive if she got kicked out of the school she begged to go to.

"Don't worry, it's not like we'll tell the dean or anything," Clint chuckled. He could see the worry on Sage's face, but he had no idea how far down the shame spiral she was already.

"Fuck," was all Sage could manage to choke out. Natasha realized right away that something was wrong, that something had happened.

"Natasha knows the rules like the back of her hand, she'll give you tips," Clint continued, completely oblivious to the deep well of anxiety forming in the pit of Sage's stomach.

"Clint," Natasha hissed. He was dancing terribly close to a line that he shouldn't cross. At first it seemed like Sage didn't notice what he was alluding to, like Natasha was off the hook. Sage was distracted, and her mind was moving terribly slowly, but she eventually worked through everything her friends had said.

"Do you… do you have experience with this?" Sage asked hesitantly. Natasha sighed, trying to decide the best way to handle the situation. She promised that she'd keep the secret, and she had taken that promise very seriously. But she could see how upset Sage was getting.

"I may or may not be… _involved_ … with a professor," Natasha said carefully, keeping her voice low and choosing her wording with care. She wasn't dating the guy, because they couldn't actually go on dates, but it was a bit more than casual hook ups.

"Woah," was all Sage could think to say. She had no idea. "Is it awkward in class?" Sage asked after thinking through it for a second. Clint laughed at her choice of question. Out of everything she could ask, that's what she wanted to know.

"I'm not in his class. He teaches nuclear physics," Natasha explained.

"Well, your secret is safe with me," Sage promised, and she meant it. She felt very connected to Natasha now and she wasn't going to jeopardize that. She had been trusted with a very big secret, and she was going to keep it. Plus, if the secret got out, it would hurt more than just Natasha. Other people were involved.

"Just lay low for the rest of the semester," Natasha told her. "It's almost over anyway." Sage nodded along, agreeing. She didn't want to say that it was already too late.

But was it too late? Could she just say that what Phillips saw was a regular hug between two friends? It's not like he had caught them making out. And she technically met Bucky before the class even started. There was a large gray area that Sage hoped they could work around.

Clint blessedly changed the subject back to Halloween costume ideas before the trio decided to call it a night and head home. For all of the sleeping she did in the past twenty-four hours, and the fresh wave of anxiety, Sage didn't sleep at all that night. After work on Sunday, though, she was exhausted enough to get a decent amount of sleep before going back to classes on Monday. The near-constant texting with Bucky had slowed to a complete stop, and she was eager for Tuesday to actually see him in person.

Sage got to her history class a few minutes early and sat a bit closer to the front than usual. She sipped at her green juice while she waited for Bucky to arrive. He usually got to class early and she wanted to talk to him, if only for a minute or two. But that day he came in right as class started, following Phillips into the room. He took his seat in the very front of the room without even looking up to the other rows, and Sage could plainly see his bothered expression. He looked mad. She tried to focus on Phillips' lecture, but tried even harder to resist the urge to stare down at the back of Bucky's head the whole time. She didn't want Phillips to see her preoccupation, because she just knew that he would be watching her, since he obviously knew who she was. Not only was she the late girl, but now she was the girl fraternizing with his TA.

Once the lecture was finally over, Sage moved quickly to get in front of the rush of students leaving the lecture hall to catch up with Bucky who was the first person out of the room. He moved quick and had to jog a bit to finally catch him outside of the building.

"Hey!" she said, grabbing on to the back of his backpack to grab his attention. Bucky turned his head to see who grabbed him, but didn't stop moving.

"Hey," he replied lowly. He checked over his shoulder again as Sage joined him at his side. He looked paranoid about something to her.

"Midterms are over and I want to skip my philosophy class today. You wanna hang out?" she asked. Her smile was hard to resist, and Bucky knew he was about to crush her, and for that he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"I can't," he said simply. Sage knew he had another class and didn't expect him to skip, but wanted to offer anyway.

"That's OK," she shrugged. "Maybe after your class?" Bucky sighed deeply and stopped walking. A tight ball of dread formed in the pit of Sage's stomach. She got a bad feeling that something happened.

"Look, I got my ass handed to me by Phillips on Friday," he started.

"Oh," Sage said dumbly. She could guess where this was going pretty easily. "Are you in trouble?"

"Not officially," he started, taking another deep breath. "He was pissed, though."

"Do you want me to talk to him? He has office hours today, right? I'll go and explain to him that there's no conflict of interest or anything," Sage offered. Talking to Phillips scared the piss out of her but Bucky didn't get here on his own. She shared half of the blame and she'd own it, especially if it got Bucky back into Phillips' good graces. He was a good TA and didn't deserve getting into trouble.

"No, it's not necessary," Bucky told her. He wasn't sure if it would help or hurt the situation, and he was a little touched that she even offered. He didn't want to make it a bigger issue than it already was, though. He didn't want her adding any fuel to the fire or potentially putting herself on the chopping block with him.

"So, then what happens?" Sage asked after a long moment of tense silence.

"We stop what we're doing," Bucky said carefully. Sage's gaze shot up to meet his, looking both mad and bewildered. "Until the semester is over," he added, hoping to soften the blow.

"What are we doing?" she finally asked. She'd been wanting to ask that for a little while now. She didn't think it'd be under these circumstances, though.

"As of right now, nothing," he said. Sage felt like the rug had been pulled out from under her. She couldn't blame Bucky. He just got his ass handed to him for breaking university policy, but she also didn't think he'd cut and run so easily.

"So no PDA," Sage reasoned, "we keep it in our pants in public." Bucky chuckled at her wording, despite how rotten he felt.

"I promised him that we'd stop until the semester is over. Either that or one of us drops the class," he told her.

"So I'll drop," she shrugged. It wouldn't be the first class she's dropped. She could take a different history class with a different professor another semester.

"I'm not letting you do that. You've come this far already, it would be stupid to throw that away," he said. He wasn't about to drop out of the class, either. He desperately needed the credit and Phillips' help. His relationship with the professor was pretty much the only thing seeing him through to graduation.

"OK, so like I said, nothing public," Sage continued. She didn't really want to drop the class, and she understood that he couldn't. And there was no way that Phillips would know what they did outside of school.

Bucky could see that she wasn't going to let whatever they had die so easily. She wasn't going to let something stupid like university policy kill their infant relationship. He was tempted to agree. She was technically right. What Phillips didn't know wouldn't hurt him. But Bucky made a promise to him, and he greatly respected the professor. He'd given his word, and if he didn't' keep it, what kind of man was he? And he could wait just another month and a half until the semester was over. Right? No, he probably could. But would Sage? He hoped so. Oh god, he really fucking hoped so.

"I gave him my word," he said grimly. Sage sucked in a deep breath and took a second to process.

"Well, then, que sera, sera," she said with a shrug, then turned on her heel and walked off, leaving Bucky alone. He felt sick and mad and hopeless and like he needed to punch something. He felt like he just let something good slip out of his hands, like trying to grasp fistfuls of sand. He felt an overwhelming need to scream and kick and yell, even cry a little bit. But he took a deep breath and went to his next class. The anger he felt must have shown on his face, because everyone jumped out of his way as he walked across campus.

Sage was upset. He could see that, he wasn't an idiot. But what could he do? He didn't want to lie to Phillips, the man deserved more respect than that. But Sage deserved more respect, too. It wasn't fair to expect her to wait around for him for a month and a half, and a small part of Bucky didn't think he would be worth the wait anyways. He was desperate for the day to be over so that he could go home and talk to Steve. Bucky figured he probably knew what Steve would say, but he needed to just vent and talk through everything with someone he trusted who had a level head. Steve always gave good advice, and he knew all parties involved. Bucky kind of felt bad for always leaning on Steve to help him solve all of his life's problems. He'd happily return the favor to Steve, but he actually had his shit together these days and didn't need much advice, especially from someone who most definitely did _not_ have their shit together.

Sage walked home fast, deciding that she definitely wasn't going to her philosophy class. Once she got home, though, she didn't know what to do. She was full of nervous energy. She needed to do something to keep her mind and hands busy, and reading or studying just wouldn't cut it. She sent a quick text to Wanda to give her a heads up that she wouldn't be there, and to take good notes. The only thing that Sage could think of to get her mind off of her shitty situation was to go to the rec center and climb. She changed quickly, shoving her phone, headphones, apartment key, and student ID into the pocket of her sweatshirt, and decided to take the long way to the rec center to run.

If she kept her body moving, maybe her brain would get distracted from how utterly shitty she felt. What she really wanted to do was to curl up in bed and cry. She didn't realize how emotionally attached she was to Bucky, how invested she was in their relationship. She really cared about him, she realized. Her mind knew he wasn't rejecting her, that they were in a bad situation and he was protecting them both from making it worse. Logically, it made sense. But emotionally, she felt cut to the bone. It would be so easy to lie to Phillips. They wouldn't even have to actively sneak around; all they had to do was be careful on campus.

Running to the rec center didn't help clear her mind as much as she wanted it to. The cold air burned her lungs, her calves burned, she felt kind of nauseous, and she still kind of felt like crying. Climbing always helped get her out of her own head. After a couple of different climbs on different routes, Sage didn't feel like crying anymore. Now she was just pissed off.


	17. Whiskey River

Sorry for the delay! December is my busiest time of the year for work, and then I went on vacation, and this was a monster chapter that took forever to write. Thank you bunches to everyone reading/reviewing/favoriting/etc. It's very much appreciated!

"Whiskey River" by Willie Nelson

* * *

The only indication Sharon got that Sage was in some kind of bad funk, was the near-constant loop of Johnny Cash coming from her room. If it hadn't been for the depressing music coming form her room, Sharon didn't have any other indication that her roommate was even alive. Sage was apparently avoiding her, though Sharon had no idea why. She later realized that she wasn't the only one being avoided.

Had this behavior been a week earlier, Sharon would just assume that Sage was going through midterms related angst. Maybe she got a bad grade on a midterm and now she was upset? Sharon never thought Sage was the type to get that upset over a bad grade, but it wasn't completely out of the question. She knew that Sage staying in this school depended on her doing well.

Sharon wasn't the only one to notice a change in their roommate. Steve was well acquainted with the signs of one of Bucky's bad moods. At first he couldn't tell if the brooding, self-imposed isolation, slamming of cabinet doors, and constant soundtrack of Nick Cave, were all signs of an impending mental breakdown, or hopefully something a bit more benign. Sometimes Bucky just got in bad moods, where nothing really went quite right, and he'd ben fine in a few days, or a week at most. Sometimes those few days were just progressively get worse and worse and then suddenly he's not going to class because he's deep in the throes of a depressive episode.

Luckily, it had been a long while since the last episode. They'd made a lot of progress since then, and Steve was optimistic that it wouldn't last much longer. He resolved to ignore Bucky's behavior and carry on as normal. Even after Bucky carefully asked a question about ethics and conflicts of interest, Steve could breathe a little easier. Even though Bucky wouldn't completely come clean and refused to answer any of Steve's questions, Steve knew the source of Bucky's anxiety. He was worried about the nature of his relationship with Sage, and if they were in danger of getting into trouble with Phillips and the university. Bucky was desperate to actually finish college with a degree, and he couldn't do that if he got kicked out for an inappropriate relationship with someone who was technically his student. Bucky was also hopelessly falling for Sage, or at least in Steve's humble opinion. He was confident in that assumption, though. He'd bet money on it, even.

Steve and Sharon tried not to talk about their roommates, or meddle in their affairs any more than necessary. Of course they thought Sage and Bucky were a great pair, but they weren't going to try and force it. Plus, Steve knew Bucky wouldn't appreciate it, or being talked about when he wasn't present. So it took a while for Sharon to finally get the truth. In a rare breach of the unspoken agreement, Steve asked Sharon how everything was on Sage's end.

"How's Sage?" Steve asked bluntly as the credits rolled on their latest episode of _Friends_. Once Sharon learned that Steve had never seen it, she forced him to watch it with her whenever they hung out and watched TV together. At first he wasn't sure he'd like it, so he resisted, but now he plowed through episodes no problem.

"I don't know, really," Sharon thought for a second, considering her words carefully. "I actually haven't even seen her in a few days." Steve didn't seem surprised, indicating to Sharon that he had sight of a bigger picture than she did. "Why?" she asked.

"I think something happened with her and Buck," Steve said cautiously. Of course he didn't know _for sure_ , but he knew Bucky better than anyone. He felt confident in the guess.

"Shit," Sharon cursed. "What do you know?"

"I think it has something to do with her technically being her student," Steve said.

"They're not in trouble, are they?" Sharon asked, sitting up and pulling away from Steve to reach for the remote to pause the intro of the next episode. She perched herself on the edge of the couch cushion and angled her body towards Steve to talk to him face to face.

"I don' think so," Steve said after a moment of thought. "I think he'd say something if they were."

"Do you think Professor Phillips knows?" she asked. Steve shrugged. He didn't know much more than she did.

"I don't know how bad it is, but I know it's bad enough for Bucky to be upset," Steve explained.

"Can they get kicked out?"

"I think it's a possibility," Steve said grimly. Sharon frowned.

"Her dad will literally kill her if she gets kicked out," Sharon sighed. Steve found that troubling.

"Is he… does he…" Steve struggled to word his concern delicately, but thankfully Sharon realized where he was going.

"No, he's just a controlling asshole. He'd only pay for her to go to LMU, and she convinced him to let her transfer and still pay for college," Sharon started. "If she gets kicked out, he won't pay for her to go anywhere else, and she won't get her trust if she doesn't graduate."

"Sage has a trust fund?" Steve asked, disbelieving. He'd met a few trust fund kids here and there, and he felt they definitely fit the stereotype. Sage didn't. He knew she grew up with more money than he did, but that wasn't hard to do. He didn't realize how much more money, though.

"Her dad pays for everything, but on his terms," Sharon said, and it was true. Sage's father was happy to bankroll her life so long as it met his approval.

"When you say everything…" Steve started, unsure of how to ask what he wanted to know without being presumptuous. Luckily Sharon knew where he was going.

"Tuition, books, rent, car insurance, utilities, cable and Internet," Sharon listed.

"He pays for the whole apartment?" Steve asked. Sharon nodded. It was, of course, weird to not have to pay for _any_ living expenses except food and personal things. When Sage told Sharon she was transferring, and they decided to be roommates, Sharon didn't expect the offer. She knew there was no thing as a free lunch, but as far as she could tell, the only strings attached were Sage's burden.

"She'll kill me if she knows I told you, so keep that to yourself," Sharon warned.

"I will, but I don't see why it matters," Steve told her. Yeah, it was unexpected, but keeping it a secret made it weird. He didn't understand why the girls didn't want people to know, but he could tell that it was important to them.

"I think she's embarrassed by it," Sharon said. They were all young college kids with hardly two nickels to rub together, and it wasn't uncommon for parents to chip in. Sharon had scholarships, and what those didn't cover, her parent's made up the difference. Steve and Bucky had the G.I. Bill, a heap of financial aid and loans, and sometimes Bucky's parents sent some money. The rest of their friends were all in pretty similar situations; whatever wasn't covered by scholarships or financial aid was taken care of by student loans. It was unusual to Steve to know, let alone hear of, someone who didn't have a single financial worry.

Bucky came home from school, and effectively ended their conversation. He barely paused long enough on his way to his room to say hello to his roommate and Sharon.

"Saturday is going to be fun," Sharon dramatically whispered, keeping her voice low so Bucky wouldn't hear her from down the hall. Steve forgot about Sage's birthday, but Sharon's reminder gave him a sinking feeling in his gut. He got the feeling that it wasn't going to be a good night.

Towards the end of the week, Sage eventually switched from Johnny Cash to happier music. She even started hanging out outside of her room. Sharon came home Friday afternoon to find Sage rolling piecrust on their kitchen island, playing some happy sounding country song. Normally Sage came home on Friday afternoons much later than Sharon, meaning she skipped work and classes.

"I didn't know you could bake," Sharon laughed, setting down her book bag and approaching the island to watch Sage at work.

"I've never done this before," Sage admitted, grinning determinedly. On the surface, it seemed like Sage had made a complete 180, but to Sharon she seemed a little manic.

The kitchen was in organized chaos. There were ingredients and cooking utensils spread out covering every inch of free counter space, but the only mess was the small floured area where Sage was rolling out the piecrust. Sharon left to change out of her clothes and into something more comfortable, and came back out to the kitchen to watch Sage work.

"What kind of pie are you making?" Sharon asked, leaning against the countertop.

"Mixed berry," Sage answered. Really, it was just a nice and concise way of saying that she was just combining as many kinds of berries as the grocery store had because she couldn't commit to just one, and it seemed like a good enough idea. Mixed berry pies were definitely a thing, she encouraged herself.

"Who is it for?" Sharon asked carefully. She was secretly thinking Bucky, that maybe there was some sort of reconciliation after whatever kind of disagreement they had. Sharon still didn't know the details. Steve was still pretty in the dark, too. Or at least that's what he was telling Sharon. She had a feeling that Bucky told him a bit more since she last talked to her boyfriend, but he was adhering to their bro code.

"Me," Sage told her. "It's my birthday and I wanted pie, so I'm making pie."

"Your birthday isn't until Sunday," Sharon reminded her.

"It's my birthday weekend, and I wanted pie, so I'm making pie," Sage repeated with the minor correction. She was definitely being manic, Sharon thought.

"Sounds like a good enough reason to me," Sharon smiled. "So have you decided on a costume for tomorrow, yet?" she changed the subject.

"I haven't even thought of it. I probably have something in my closet I can throw together," Sage sighed. There wasn't much that Sage loved more than dressing up in a good costume, and it was birthday tradition. But this year she'd been putting it off. She'd been in a sour mood since talking to Bucky a week ago. As if it wasn't hard enough to just date in general, things were further complicated by their TA/student relationship. Plus Bucky's damned integrity was making it worse. He was doing the honorable thing, protecting them both, and it felt like she got dumped. And she was upset about it.

Despite her issues with Phillips, she got a pretty good grade on her midterm. Sage wondered if Bucky ended up grading it or not, but she wasn't about to ask him. She avoided him during their class all week. She sat near the back of the lecture hall, coming into the room just before class started, and leaving the second it ended. Even if Bucky wanted to talk to her, she wouldn't give him the chance. She felt hurt and jilted and embarrassed, so she made the mature decision to give him the cold shoulder.

"I convinced Steve to do a couples costume with me," Sharon said conspiratorially.

"Oh yeah? What are you guys gonna be?" Sage asked, trying to scrape the dough off of the countertop. She wasn't using enough flour and it was sticking.

"It's between Fred and Daphne or Forrest Gump and Jenny," Sharon told her.

"Does Steve have an opinion?"

"He doesn't know yet."

"Well, he already dresses like Forrest Gump, so you won't have to do much work," Sage teased. Sharon laughed; she had to agree. "You're welcome to my closet for a Jenny outfit. And be prepared for everyone to quote the entire movie at y'all all night."

"Steve will like not having to get anything, he's not much of a costume guy," Sharon laughed. "He's coming over later, by the way," she added.

"Cool," Sage said, finally getting the dough right, scraping it off the counter, and carefully laying it out across the pie pan. "You guys will have the place to yourself."

"Got a hot date with Bucky?" Sharon asked, winking and laughing. She knew that wasn't the case, but she was playing dumb to manipulate some information out of Sage.

"Nope," Sage answered coolly. "I'm going out with Wanda. Her brother's band is playing," she said, avoiding Sharon's eyes.

"You guys OK?" Sharon asked, giving up any pretense and cutting to the chase.

"Nope," Sage said again. Sharon frowned, not expecting such a bluntly honest answer.

"Can I ask what happened?"

"Professor Philips caught us, yelled at Bucky and freaked him out, so he broke up with me," Sage answered quickly. She took her pie pan, stepped away from the island, and settled at the stove top to pour the pie filling into the pan, her back now turned to Sharon.

"Are you kidding? When did that happen?" Sharon asked, incredulous that she'd been so out of the loop.

"Last week," Sage said, her tone getting colder and colder. She so wasn't in the mood to talk about that. The wounds were still pretty fresh.

"He really broke up with you?" Sharon just couldn't believe that. He was way too smitten to give up that easy.

Sage ignored the questioning and haphazardly threw the rest of the pie together. She slid the mess into the oven, closed the door with more force than she meant, and retreated to her bedroom. Sharon warred with herself for a moment, torn between letting it go and getting to the bottom of things. Eventually she made up her mind and followed after Sage, barging into her room.

"You have to tell me more than that, it can't be that simple," Sharon demanded, sitting down on the edge of Sage's bed. Sage was sitting in the middle of her bed, just opening her laptop when her roommate barged in. She sighed deeply and leaned back against the pillows, resigned to the heart to heart she was about to have against her will.

"Phillips told him we stop until the class is over, or one of us drops. Bucky decided that we'd stop," Sage revealed, not eager to relive the whole entire conversation. Sharon stared at her, unable to believe that her best friend and roommate had kept something like that from her for so long.

"The semester's almost over," Sharon finally said, taking her time to consider the right things to say. Sage rolled her eyes.

"Phillips doesn't know what we do off campus, and its none of his business anyways," Sage defended. She had no issue with lying to the professor. It's not like he had any proof or reason to not believe them.

"So you're mad that Bucky is keeping his word?" Sharon questioned. "You're seriously mad that he has integrity?" Sharon was starting to think this whole thing to be absurd. It was starting to seem like Sage was acting immaturely and selfishly. She really couldn't just wait one month?

"When you say it like that, you make me sound like a bitch," Sage sighed. She of course knew that Sharon had a point, it's not like she hadn't considered that already. She couldn't fault Bucky for his honesty and commitment to his word. If anything, he was proving to be trustworthy and genuine. What girl wouldn't want that? And yet it still felt like a major rejection. It was bringing up questions of being good enough. If he really liked her, he'd lie to Phillips. If he thought she was good enough, he'd just fucking lie. If he felt like being with her was worth the risk and betrayal…

"Well, honestly, I kind of think you are acting like a bitch," Sharon said bluntly, holding no punches. It was time for some tough love. "Do you have any idea how miserable Bucky feels?"

"Yeah, because I'm totally unfeeling and have no empathy," Sage rolled her eyes. She tried to keep the sarcasm at bay, but it snuck into the conversation turned argument anyway. Sharon sucked in a deep breath through her teeth and squared her shoulders, ready to do battle.

"You're not being fair," Sharon warned. "Are you going to be nice to him tomorrow?"

Sage sighed dejectedly. She tried her hardest all week to not think about seeing him at her birthday party. What would she say? She'd been avoiding him in class all week. Partly because she was pissed at him, and partly because she felt embarrassed and hurt and stupid. Would he even still come to her birthday?

"He can still come, right? It would be really shitty for every single one of his friends to still be invited and make him sit at home alone."

"Sharon!" Sage cried. She was reaching a breaking point. She was either going to start crying or yelling. She didn't want to yell at Sharon, because she was her best friend and she knew she didn't deserve it. She didn't want to cry because that was embarrassing and she wasn't comfortable showing just how emotionally invested she was in all of this.

Sharon stared at Sage expectantly, waiting for Sage to do something. She could see the anger, pain, and frustration break across Sage's face. Rather than start a screaming match, Sage sighed and let her shoulders drop, releasing the tension held there.

"Of course he can still come," Sage finally said in a very small voice. "I really fucking like him and I feel so, so, so, awful about this whole thing," she admitted quietly. Sharon offered Sage a warm and reassuring smile.

"Not that I condone lying, but maybe if you wear a really hot costume tomorrow, he'll reconsider," Sharon said conspiratorially, winking playfully to ease the tension in the air and lighten the mood. Sage smiled and laughed. Her and Sharon had never had an actual fight. This was the closest they've probably ever gotten. There were some other close calls in the past, but they were both pretty good at reining it in and cracking a joke before anything got too serious. Sage was grateful for that quality in their friendship, because she was too stubborn to go back and eat some humble pie after a fight. She could hold relationship-damaging grudges like nobody's business. And then she realized she'd been doing that to Bucky, and this wasn't even the first time. With a tight, constricting feeling in her gut, Sage realized she really wasn't being fair to him. She was actually being a total brat, cutting him out of her life at any and all signs of difficulty. She was pre-emptively punishing him.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you should see a therapist before you alienate every person you care about?" Sage asked half joking, half serious. Sharon chuckled.

A loud knock at the door halted the conversation. Sharon got up from the edge of the bed to go answer it, while Sage rolled out from the center of the bed to follow after her. Sharon opened the door to a Brinks delivery man. He was built like a house and could probably take Steve in a fight. He wore a dark gray uniform and sunglasses that he didn't take off.

"I have a delivery for Sage Kelley," the man told Sharon. She stepped out of the way and looked to Sage.

"That's me," Sage said, stepping forward.

"Do you have ID?" the man asked.

"Just a second," Sage ran back into her room to fish her wallet out of her backpack. She rummaged through it on her way back to the front door, looking for her drivers license. She handed it to the man who scanned it, handed it back, and had her sign before handing over a small package. The box was barely the size of a small shoebox.

"You ladies have a good evening," the delivery man attempted a courteous smile, and left the girls.

"Wow," Sharon said, closing and locking the door and following Sage into the kitchen. Sage grabbed a knife from the block on the counter and sliced open the box. She pushed away the packing peanuts and pulled out a large, heavy shimmery gold envelope with her full name written on it in an elegant script. She eyed it curiously, then set it down on the counter, and stuck her hand back in the box, shuffling around the peanuts until she found something else in the box. Sage pulled out a red jewelry box with gold detailing.

"Whoa, Cartier. Nice," Sharon eyed the box appreciatively. She and Sage shared a smirk, and Sage opened the box. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was a yellow gold bracelet. "Holy shit," Sharon breathed. Sage recognized the bracelet. It was a popular accessory.

"I'm guessing this is from my dad," Sage sighed. She had no interest in the jewelry piece. She wasn't into fine jewelry. It was a waste of money. Why spend all that money on a bracelet that costs as much as a car?

"Sage, that's a six thousand dollar bracelet," Sharon took up the discarded Cartier box to inspect it. "The Kardashians wear these to the gym." Hearing the actual dollar amount on the gift made Sage want to vomit.

While it was nice that her dad sent her birthday gifts, they had been getting more and more extravagant the older she got. And the more money he spent, the less personal they were. Last year, he'd gotten Sage a pair of Tahitian pearl earrings that she's never worn. She wasn't exactly a pearl earring kind of girl, and the earrings were rattling around at the back of a drawer somewhere the last time she saw them.

"You like it?" Sage asked, looking over to Sharon who was admiring the bracelet.

"Yeah, I mean, it's really nice," Sharon said, gently putting the bracelet back in the box.

"It's yours," Sage smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. She focused her attention onto the large envelope. It was heavy and fancy. Sage lifted the flap and started to pull the heavy cardstock out. Her mouth went dry when she realized what it was- a wedding invitation.

It didn't take Sharon long to realize what Sage was reading. "Who's getting hitched?" she asked, her concern growing at the angry expression on Sage's face.

"Some lady named Susan and my dad," Sage laughed bitterly. Sharon was at a loss for words. She didn't know that Sage's dad had a new girlfriend, but that wasn't unusual. Sage stopped mentioning the girlfriends once she moved out and went to college. The ones that Sharon did know about were young enough to be Sage's sister, and nothing too serious. They never lasted very long.

Taking a deep breath, Sage neutralized her face. She was angry and upset, but the last thing she wanted to do was blow up about one more thing. She didn't bother reading the entirety of the invitation and stuffed the contents back into the gold envelope roughly, tearing it at the seams.

"I'm going out later with my friend Wanda. Her brother is in a band and they have a show," Sage started, dropping the envelope back into the box and closing the flaps. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Oh, well, Steve was actually going to come over later," Sharon replied. She could only imagine how Sage felt, and she felt awful for leaving her alone. She wanted to be there for her friend, but maybe going out to a show with someone who had no affiliation with Bucky would actually be good. Sharon and Steve would inevitably meet up later in the night with a few of the others, probably including Bucky himself.

Sage smiled at Sharon suggestively. "Say no more, I'll be out late and give y'all some privacy," she winked for added innuendo.

"It's not like that," Sharon laughed.

"Uh-huh, sure," Sage said, smirking. "I'm getting ready at Wanda's place, so I'm gonna pack a bag. The pie should be ready in a little while. You and Steve can have it." Sage grabbed the cardboard box and walked it over to the trashcan. She dumped the contents, packing peanuts and wedding invitation included, into the garbage, broke down the box with the kitchen knife, and put it in their recycling bin.

"You don't want to take it to your friend's?" Sharon asked, watching Sage warily. She was worried that Sage threw the invitation away, but she was at least relieved that it wasn't being burned.

"Nah, just save me a piece," Sage shrugged. "Unless it sucks, then just toss it," she started cleaning off the countertop with a damp sponge, wiping up the flour from where she rolled out the piecrust. Sharon helped her gather the dirty bowls and utensils into the sink, and hung around the kitchen after. It seemed like Sage was done talking, but Sharon didn't want to leave her just yet. Sage was obviously avoiding and suppressing her feelings about her dad, and Sharon wished that she'd just let it out, because she knew at some point Sage would blow like Vesuvius.

Once the kitchen was clean, Sage disappeared into her room, closing the door behind her, and signaling to Sharon that she was definitely done talking. With a deep sigh, Sharon went into her own room to tidy up a bit before Steve came over later. She heard Sage leave her room to get the pie out of the oven, then maybe forty minutes later, heard her leave the apartment.

By the time Sage got to the apartment that Wanda shared with her brother Pietro, all thoughts of Bucky and her dad were long gone. She pushed them deep into the darkest recesses of her mind, locking the door and throwing away the key. She threw herself into her night with Wanda, so much so that Wanda had no idea anything was even going on. Not that she and Sage had a superficial friendship, but Sage didn't like to expose or share some of the deeper aspects of her life. At least not so soon. There were people that Sage was inseparably close to one semester, then the next it was like they were strangers. She didn't know how permanent the friendships she was forming would be, so why put in all the emotional work when they might grow apart? In the few moments of clarity, Sage realized how stupid that was, that that certain brand of thinking was limiting potential for said long-lasting relationships. She got in her own way.

Regardless, Sage put her troubles behind her and had a blast with Wanda at Pietro's band's show. They were fast and loud. The club was dirty and filled with a more alternative crowd. Sage had trouble picturing Sharon or Steve there. She thought Natasha might come along if she were to back. Bucky might've enjoyed it if it weren't for his issues with loud, angry noises and dense crowds.

Sage ended up spending the night at Wanda's. Pietro stayed out with his band mates, and went home with a girl after, leaving the eclectic apartment to the girls. It wasn't really planned; Sage was just too drunk and tired to make the effort to go home. She didn't make it home until well into Saturday afternoon, where she then took a shower and a nap, despite having slept in all morning on Wanda's couch.

Sharon wasn't home when Sage made it in. Sharon didn't even realize that Sage was home when she got back, because the place was still quiet and dark, like how she left it. It wasn't until Natasha arrived at seven that Sharon realized she wasn't alone. The sounds of the two talking in the living room woke Sage up, and she ventured out of her room to check it out.

"Jesus, how long have you been here?" Sharon said, startled at the appearance of Sage.

"Uh, like, since four?" Sage replied, rubbing at her eyes. She fell into the plaid chair while trying to run her fingers through her now mostly dry hair, pulling out the tangles.

"You look like shit. Are you going to be able to get it together for tonight?" Natasha asked, eyeing Sage. She looked exactly like she was out all night and slept all day.

"I'll rally, don't worry," Sage reassured. "Is that your costume?" Sage noticed the bag on the coffee table with green fabric spilling out of it. The sight of the costume had Sage perking up a little bit.

"It is," Natasha smirked, stuffing the fabric back into the bag.

"What is it?" Sage pressed.

"You'll see later," Natasha assured her, causing Sage to frown.

"Have you figured out what you're going to do?" Sharon asked Sage. The last time they spoke, it didn't sound like Sage had any ideas.

"I have some ideas," Sage said vaguely. She really hadn't thought about it very much. She talked about it a little bit with Wanda, she even asked Pietro, but neither one of them were much help. Wanda told her that they didn't celebrate Halloween growing up in Sokovia, not like people do in the States. Pietro dismissed the idea of trying to throw together a costume, but Wanda said she'd consider it, if it wasn't too much trouble. She knew how into it Sage was, and wanted to at least make an attempt for her birthday.

"What's the plan, anyway? Are people coming here?" Sage asked.

"We're pre-gaming here," Sharon answered. "I told everyone 8:30."

"I need to get started on my hair," Natasha said, getting up from the couch. She bent over the coffee table to pull her own curling iron out of her bag, and went into the bathroom to plug it in. Sage got up to get her phone from her room to text the plan to Wanda. Wanda mentioned earlier that she and Pietro would probably meet her out somewhere later in the night, but Sage wanted to let her know anyway, just in case.

"Can I still raid your closet?" Sharon asked, standing in the doorway of Sage's room.

" _Mi ropa es su ropa_ ," Sage told her. She started cleaning up her room while Sharon went through her closet. Sage figured that since people would be coming over, she should at least make her bed and pick up the dirty underwear and socks from her floor.

"I have a white dress and boots, I just need some hippy-dippy accessories," Sharon said, pulling out a knit cardigan to inspect in the light. She put the cardigan back and kept looking. "You have so many tee shirts," she commented. Sage grinned, not seeing any problem with that, as she started going through her jewelry.

"Here, wear these," Sage held up a pair of white feather earrings with dangly beading. "I haven't worn these in years and I don't care if you lose them."

"Oh, perfect!" Sharon said excitedly. Sage pulled out a few bangles and a long necklace with an agate slice pendant to add to Sharon's costume.

"Natasha's going to do my hair after hers. Do you think you'll need help with yours?" Sharon asked, pulling out another jacket.

"I don't know yet. And you should wear my suede jacket," Sage told her, crossing the room to help Sharon find it in her closet. She handed the jewelry over to find the jacket and pull it out of her closet. "Spill anything on this and I'll cry, but it'll make the costume," Sage teased.

Sharon smiled appreciatively. "It's perfect, thanks." She left Sage's room to go into her own to start getting ready. Sage sighed and started going through her clothes, trying to get an idea. She was going through her vintage tee shirts when an idea struck her. It wasn't exactly a cute or sexy costume idea, but it would be funny and comfortable.

Sage changed into blue jeans and pulled on her cowboy boots. In the slight effort of retaining some femininity, Sage put on a push-up bra, followed by one of the vintage tees that she was most proud of- a 1978 Willie Nelson July Picnic Extravaganza shirt. Under her bed, Sage kept a flat box full of random odds and ends. In it, she found a red bandana, an old fake beard and mustache from a previous costume, and an old flower crown that she wore to a music festival two years ago to give to Sharon.

Combing, parting, and braiding her hair into two pigtails took only a few minutes. Rolling the bandana and tying it across her forehead was the last touch, until it was time to put on the beard. She'd wait to do that until people started arriving. Until then, Sage went into Sharon's room to drop off the flower crown and to hang out, since she was done getting ready.

"No way," Sharon burst into laughter the second she looked up from doing her makeup to look at Sage. "You make such a sexy Willie Nelson."

"Why thank you," Sage smirked, popping her hip out and striking a pose. Hearing the comment, Natasha left the bathroom, having to see what was going on for herself.

"You're lucky Bucky already likes you," Natasha teased.

"What? You don't think guys will find this attractive?" Sage went along with the joke. "I haven't put on the fake beard yet."

"Of course you have a fake beard all ready to go," Sharon laughed.

"Thought you could use this, by the way," Sage held up the flower crown. It was a bit crumpled from being in storage for a couple of years, so she fluffed it as best she could.

"Awesome," Sharon smiled, going back to her makeup.

"Are you going to put any makeup on?" Natasha asked Sage.

"Wasn't planning on it," she shrugged. "The beard will cover most of my face, anyway."

"So then you need a dramatic eye," Natasha told her. Sage knew better than to argue. Nat went back to the bathroom to finish her dramatic curls. When she was done, she called Sharon into the bathroom to do her hair. Sage followed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub to watch.

"I think we need to start drinking, y'all," Sage said, getting bored of watching Natasha curl Sharon's hair.

"Go pop open your present," Natasha told her. "It's in the kitchen." Sage got up excitedly, and left the bathroom for the kitchen. On the island stood a deliciously large bottle of crown with a big pink bow tied around it, that Sage somehow didn't notice earlier. Next to it was a large white bakery box that Sage opened curiously. Inside was a square cake with white frosting, yellow frosting flowers, and _'Happy Birthday Sage'_ written in green icing. The sight of the frosting flowers had Sage practically salivating. That was her favorite part of the cake, but she resisted the urge to scoop one off and eat it right then, and closed the box. She grabbed three shot glasses and the bottle of Crown and took them into the bathroom.

"Natasha, I love you more than I can express right now," Sage grinned, setting down the shot glasses to open the bottle.

"Thought you'd like it," Natasha smiled back. Sage poured out the shots, and handed a glass to Sharon and Natasha.

"Happy birthday!" Sharon toasted before they each tossed back the shot.

Because Sharon was technically going as a disheveled hippy, her hair didn't take very long for Natasha to finish. Sage took another shot before Natasha sat her down to draw on dramatic winged liner. She was a professional with the liquid liner, really and truly. Sage put on her own mascara, using much more than she usually would.

Sharon started getting dressed while Natasha moved on to her makeup. She only had about twenty minutes before people were supposed to be arriving, but if anyone could get ready in time, it was Natasha. Sage mixed herself a Crown and Coke to sip on, trying to pace herself, and made cranberry vodkas for Sharon and Natasha.

Clint and Laura were the first to get there, arriving exactly at 8:30.

"I tried so hard to be fashionably late, but she's punctual as hell," Clint told Sage when she opened the door. Laura hit his arm.

"You kept asking me 'are you ready yet', like twenty times," Laura scolded, frowning at her boyfriend. She then looked to Sage, smiling brightly. "Happy birthday!" she squealed, pulling her into a hug. Sage hugged her back and smiled, too.

"Oh yeah, happy birthday," Clint added. Sage flipped him off, closing the door behind them. Laura was dressed in a long red dress, and wore a long blonde wig. Clint wore black pants and a very billowy black shirt, black bandana tied around his head, and carried a mask.

"Thanks, Westley," Sage winked. Clint and Laura made a cute Princess Buttercup and Westley.

"This is for you, by the way," Laura said, holding out a poorly wrapped bottle. "Clint wrapped it."

"Oh, thank you! You didn't have to," Sage took the bottle happily, hugging Laura and then Clint.

"Feel free to share it," Clint told her, kind of joking, kind of not. Sage tore the paper off of the Bulleit Bourbon bottle.

"So what are you supposed to be?" Laura asked Sage, looking her up and down. All she could think of was some sort of casual cowboy.

"Oh, I'm not quite done getting ready," Sage laughed, setting the bourbon bottle down next to the crown. She finished off her old drink. "Y'all make a drink, there's mixers in the fridge. Sharon and Natasha are still getting ready," Sage told the couple before going back into her room. She had just remembered a large rode belt buckle she had in one of her desk drawers. She slid it onto a plain brown leather belt, and put it on. She took a few seconds to run her fingers through her fake beard, and grabbed her shearling lined denim jacket from her closet before turning off the lights and closing the door.

"Please tell me that's really a fake beard!" Clint called from the kitchen as Sage passed through to get to the bathroom. Sage simply winked in response before slipping into the bathroom with Natasha.

"Whoa, hot tamale!" Sage whistled as best she could at the sight of Natasha.

"When I get my shoes on, I need you to take a picture of me," Natasha said, smirking at Sage's reaction. Natasha was a stunner in her Poison Ivy costume. Her hair was voluminous, deliciously bouncy, and Sage wanted to run her fingers through it. Her makeup was next level Youtube makeup artist quality, with iridescent green around her eyes and venomous looking red lips. She wore a deep green cat suit with fake leaves carefully attached to the bodice. Black booties sat on the countertop, waiting to be put on.

"Fair warning, I think you'll break the Internet if you post it," Sage joked.

"I'm not posting it," Natasha said cryptically. The coy little smirk told Sage that it wouldn't go totally unseen, however.

"When you're done torturing some poor dude, will you pin this beard in my hair? It has an elastic band but it's annoying," Sage asked, holding up the fake beard. Natasha looked up from packing away her makeup supplies and stared at the beard.

"What the hell are you?" she asked.

"Willie Nelson!" Sage said happily, pointing to her shirt. Natasha chuckled, and got some bobby pins out of Sharon's drawer.

"Come here," Natasha said, taking the beard from Sage. She carefully pinned it in place, making sure it didn't pull on her hair and that it wasn't going to fall off.

"There," Natasha said, taking a step back, "You'll be beating the boys off with a stick," she teased.

"Well, I'm not really trying to attract a ton of dudes," Sage shrugged.

"Right. Just the one," Natasha smirked knowingly. Sage rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway. She wasn't wrong. "Here," Natasha handed her phone to Sage, then stepped into her shoes.

"Do you really want the background to be my gross bathroom?" Sage asked, stepping back to figure out the best angle to take the photo.

"I don't think he'll even notice," Natasha laughed.

"Right! Like you could be standing in a graveyard and I'd be too busy looking at your legs to notice," Sage said. Natasha was an expert at posing for photographs, and it only took a few seconds. Sage took extra shots just in case, and soon they were leaving the bathroom to join everyone else.

Sharon had finished getting ready and was making herself a drink while talking to Laura. Sam had arrived while Sage and Natasha were in the bathroom. He wore an olive flight suit with a popped collar and aviators.

"What the hell are you? Hippy Santa?" Sam yelled from across the room, pointing a finger at Sage.

"That's so disrespectful!" Sage yelled back. "I'm Willie Nelson, you uncultured toad!"

Sam crossed the room and pulled Sage into a hug. "I'll let that one go since it's your birthday," he chuckled.

"Who knew Maverick was so generous," Sage teased.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet," he grinned. "It's your birthday and I don't see a drink in your hand. What can I make you?" Sam asked, pulling Sage to the kitchen. Sharon set out all the mixers and alcohol on the island, along with cups and shot glasses, to make it more accessible.

"Do a shot of Crown with me," Sage suggested, sliding the opened bottle across the counter towards her.

"Who would I be to refuse the birthday girl?" Sam obliged, holding out two shot glasses for Sage to fill.

"I like your style, Wilson," Sage said appreciatively.

"Don't spoil her," Sharon warned teasingly. Sage and Sam took their shots and high fived after.

"Remember to take the beard off before you puke later," Laura warned, giggling at the thought. Sage rolled her eyes jovially, but it was a good little reminder to not go too hard, too fast. She was already on her third shot. Or was it fourth, counting the drink? She was definitely feeling loose and happy, in the exact right frame of mind for a birthday party.

"If you don't puke at your own birthday party, then you did it wrong," Clint said loudly.

"Just don't do it in public," Natasha added.

"I'll see what I can do," Sage laughed. "But I'll be less likely to puke if I eat, and since there's a perfectly good cake sitting right here…" she started suggestively, reaching out across the island countertop to pull the bakery box towards her.

"Yes, sugar will definitely help," Sam said sarcastically.

"Wait until everyone is here," Sharon said, ignoring Sam.

"Who else are we waiting on?" Laura asked.

"Yeah, where the hell are Barnes and Rogers?" Clint added.

"Steve just texted me; they're running late," Sharon replied. "What about your friend?" she asked, looking to Sage.

"Wanda and Pietro are meeting us out," Sage answered.

"And Lang? Anybody seen him lately?" Clint asked the group. "He like, dropped off the face of the earth."

"It's that girlfriend of his," Sam explained. "They're always breaking up and getting back together. Last I talked to him, he said he was gonna try to make it tonight, but that was a few days ago." Sam tried to offer as much insight as he could, but he really didn't understand the whole situation very well, himself. Scott and his girlfriend Maggie were either absolutely soul mates, or a terrible match, depending on the day.

It didn't take much longer than fifteen minutes for Steve and Bucky to show up. Sage was able to not think about seeing Bucky, putting off the dread and anxiety, all the way up until Clint asked where he was. The last time they spoke, it ended badly. And since then, she'd been purposefully giving him the cold shoulder, punishing him. She put him between a rock and a hard place; lie to Phillips or break her heart, essentially. Of course, it wasn't that black and white. There was plenty of gray area in which to operate, but Sage's knee-jerk reaction squashed that. She reacted before thinking, and now things were awkward again.

Were things always going to be this way? Major stumbling blocks derailing the whole relationship any time things got good? How and why were things so complicated? Then Sage thought maybe the relationship actually wasn't complicated. Yes, maybe bad things sometimes happen. True, neither her nor Bucky were perfect. So why was she making it ten times more difficult each time some little thing happened?

When Steve and Bucky walked through the door, everyone in the room stopped to greet them warmly. Sage always knew that Steve's friends really liked and respected him. At first she kind of thought that some of that fell on Bucky just by association. But when he walked through the door behind Steve, and people greeted him as well, Sage realized for the first time that they all held Bucky in similar regard. Watching him one-armed bro hug Sam, wearing a white tee shirt tucked into his jeans, leather jacket, and red bandana tied around his forehead, Sage decided she needed to treat him better.

While everyone took turns hurling _Forrest Gump_ quotes at Sharon and Steve, Sage walked up to Bucky, grinning from ear to ear like she was genuinely happy to see him, because she _was_ , and hugged him. Clearly he didn't expect such a warm reception, based on the past week, but Bucky recovered quickly and hugged her back.

"Happy birthday, Willie Nelson," he told her, returning her smile.

"Thanks," she said, happy that someone finally guessed her costume right. "Are you… Bruce Springsteen?" Sage guessed.

"Yes! Thank you. Steve didn't get it, but it's all I could think of last minute, plus I already had all of this," he said happily.

Not that the greeting was awkward, at least not entirely, but it was definitely lacking. It didn't sit quite right for Sage, or for Bucky. It felt incomplete, even a little unnatural. Sage tried not to think about how it would have felt much more _right_ to have kissed him instead.

"Take a shot with me," Sage commanded, pulling on Bucky's lapel and dragging him to the kitchen island. "It's my birthday so you have to."

"Isn't that some kind of extortion?" Bucky teased, accepting the shot that Sage poured for him. They clinked their shot glasses together, making eye contact and smiling, and downed their shots.

"Stop!" Sharon yelled from across the room. While she was glad to see that things weren't nearly as awkward as she feared they would be with Sage and Bucky, the sight of Sage taking _another_ shot on an empty stomach was cause for concern. "No more shots!"

"Then let me eat some cake!" Sage shouted back. Thanks to Sharon, she realized that she should probably slow down her pace a little, if she didn't want to get black out drunk before midnight.

"Let the poor girl eat some damn birthday cake!" Sam defended.

"Let them eat cake!" Clint added to the din.

Sharon tried to light some birthday candles, but Sage squashed that idea, plunging a knife into the center of the cake before Sharon could even open the box. Sage served herself a large piece, making sure to get a frosting flower, then moved out of the way to let everyone else get their own cake. She wolfed it down quickly, but savored the yellow flower.

"You have frosting in your beard," Steve told her, gesturing with his fork towards Sage's face.

"I'm saving it for later," Sage said flippantly, running her fingers over the fake beard. Laura used the paper towel she was holding underneath her plate of cake to help Sage scrape out the yellow frosting.

"Beards seem like a lot of trouble, but man are they sexy," Laura giggled, scraping out a glob of frosting near Sage's mouth.

"I imagine that one would get a lot of beard hair in their own mouth," Sage mused. She'd already probably swallowed a more than her fair share of synthetic beard hair, just since putting it on.

"Have you ever kissed anyone with a beard? The guy's not the only one that gets hair in his mouth," Natasha pointed out.

"What are you doing? Licking his face?" Clint asked, making a disgusted face as he thought about it. He'd never grown his facial hair out into a proper beard. He was no stranger to excessive stubble, but never grew beyond that.

"No, she's right, it happens. Plus, there's beard burn," Sage defended.

"Beard burn?" Steve questioned. He hit puberty way late in the game, like embarrassingly late. He didn't need to shave until he could legally drink. Since becoming a man, and being in the Army, he always stayed clean-shaven. He wasn't even one for stubble. He was a clean-cut guy, plus growing out the hair itched like hell.

"Yeah, like the friction from rubbing your face against a beard while making out, or whatever," Sage explained.

"Or whatever?" Sam laughed, only able to imagine what Sage meant.

"That sounds painful," Steve winced, rubbing at his own jaw. He'd shaved not too long ago, so his skin was nice and smooth. But he remembered what it felt like before he shaved, rough and scratchy, and probably very painful to rub against someone else's smooth face. It was something he'd never considered before.

Bucky sipped at a beer quietly, listening to the conversation. When he was in the service, he kept shaved, but the second he got discharged, he practically threw away the razor. He'd sported some form of facial hair ever since, though it only ever ranged from thick stubble to full on depression beard. While listening to his friends debate the pros and cons of beards, he found himself trying to figure out what side of the debate Sage fell on. He noticed that while she spoke of beard burns and stray hairs, she didn't seem to express any sort of disgust. And then he started thinking about that night not so long ago, of him and her kissing on his bed, how her hands delicately smoothed over his beard while they kissed. She didn't seem to hate it.

"Enough talking about facial hair! I'm ready to go out!" Sage decreed. She was ready for a change of scenery. She was ready for the sensory overload of going out on Halloween weekend. She was ready for loud music, crowds of strangers dressed in costumes; the attention she'd inevitably get from people when they found out it was her birthday. Sage was ready for a distraction- from how shitty she felt about her situation with Bucky, from how shitty she felt from her father's birthday package, from the way she noticed Bucky was looking at her from across the room.

Pulling on her shearling-lined denim jacket, Sage led the pack. Sharon was the last to leave so that she could lock the door, and while everyone followed Sage downstairs to walk to the nearest bar, Bucky and Steve held back to stay with her.

Natasha strode to the front of the group and hooked her arm into Sage's, pulling her close as they fell into step together.

"What's your goal tonight?" Natasha asked, smiling excitedly in anticipation of what was sure to be a fun night out. She could easily read Sage's mood. She was excited and wild-eyed, in the mood to be reckless.

"I wanna have one of those nights that we'll talk about when we're thirty," Sage answered, beaming despite the sharp wind. "Aren't you cold?" Sage asked, pulling Natasha closer when she realized that Poison Ivy wasn't wearing a coat.

"We'll be inside soon," Natasha said, burrowing closer into Sage's side to shield herself from the cold wind for the duration of their short walk.

"So has this been as awkward as you expected, or better?" Sharon asked Bucky from Steve's side as the three of them trailed behind their group of friends.

"Or worse?" Steve teased. Bucky stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and shrugged.

"I guess it's better than expected," he answered. "Still kind of awkward, though."

"I think that's to be expected," Sharon mused. "You're both going against the grain here."

"What does that mean?" Bucky asked. He could guess, but he wanted to hear her thoughts.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do, and yes, there's a risk involved, but just let yourself have what you want," Sharon said bluntly. She was tired of her friends holding back and making themselves miserable. Maybe with a little push, she could give Sage a better birthday present than the vintage bronze horse figurine she found on eBay that was supposed to arrive two days ago, but was now late.

Bucky continued on in silence, not sure what to even say to that. Letting himself have what he wants- it was easier said than done. First of all, did he even deserve what he wanted? He could see Natasha and Sage walking together, arm in arm, up ahead of the group. Would Sage even have him at this point? She gave him a friendly greeting, but she was probably just faking nice. A bit of Southern hospitality.

Once inside the bar, Sage pulled Natasha straight through the crowd and up to the bar, pushing an Ace Ventura and sexy nurse out of the way. Sage shamelessly told the bartender that it was her birthday, and got herself and Natasha free shots.

The night continued on like that. Eventually Natasha swapped herself out with Laura. She didn't want to drink anymore, but Sage kept going. It was one of those rare nights where _everyone_ drank a little too much. Sam, Bucky, and Clint sat hunched over Sam's phone, analyzing a conversation he was having with a girl. Steve and Sharon were wrapped up in each other, talking quietly and laughing together. Natasha, Laura, and Sage were grouped together until Sage felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Wanda was calling her to figure out her location in the bar, and Sage broke away from the group to find her.

Sage didn't return for some time. Pietro hadn't bothered to dress up, but Sage giggled and clapped at Wanda's braided pigtails and black dress. Her reluctant Wednesday Addams costume filled Sage with joy, and she convinced the twins to take shots with her. It didn't go unnoticed to Wanda and Pietro that Sage was already drunk. Her face was red, her movements were jerky and erratic, she stumbled over words. She wasn't quite a hot mess, though, so they didn't stop her.

Sage drug Wanda by the hand with Pietro in two to her friends. She made awkward introductions, and once she was satisfied with the way Clint and Pietro were talking, and how Natasha had welcomed Wanda into her conversation with Laura, Sage excused herself to go to the bathroom.

Natasha was the first to notice that Sage was taking a long time. She estimated thirty minutes since Sage left to go pee. She watched Bucky get up from his seat to go to the bathroom, and waited until he moved past her to grab his arm.

"See if you can find Sage," she instructed him quietly. "She's been gone a while." Bucky nodded as if he hadn't noticed already. He figured there was just a long line to the girl's bathroom. As he approached the bathrooms, though, he thought about the time she showed him her trick. With such a long line to the girl's room, and no line for the men's, wouldn't she have just used the latter?

After using the bathroom, Bucky made a lap around the crowded bar but couldn't find Sage anywhere. Through the windows he could see a few groups of people out on the patio despite the cold. He lingered in the doorway long enough to scan through the fifteen or so people, looking for a familiar face, then made his way back to the group once he was sure she wasn't outside.

"I can't find her," he told Sharon. Surely she was still in the bar. There were a ton of people in all sorts of costumes, and she wasn't super tall, so he probably just didn't see her in the crowd.

"Great," Sharon grumbled. She'd been keeping a silent tally of each of Sage's drinks, and she knew that she probably still didn't have an accurate count. Sharon pulled away from Steve and Bucky and approached Sage's weird friend Wanda and her equally weird twin brother.

"Any idea where Sage is?" Sharon asked the twins. Wanda and Pietro looked at each other, then to Sharon.

"Last I heard was the bathroom," Wanda told her.

"I'm sure she's fine," Natasha reassured, joining the conversation. To prove her point, Natasha disappeared into the crowd to recover Sage.

Natasha took a bit more care combing through the crowd than Bucky did. She checked the bar first, and as she wove through the lines of people waiting for drinks, 'Sweet Caroline' started to play and the atmosphere in the bar completely shifted. It seemed like everyone in the bar started singing along, voices growing louder as the chorus started to build. At the first swell of trumpets in the song, Natasha's eyes finally landed on Sage. She was hard to miss, standing on top of a chair, shouting along to the song.

Moving closer, literally pushing people out of her way to make it to Sage faster, Natasha recognized a few faces of the people standing around the chair Sage stood upon, cheering her on, and Natasha suddenly got a very bad feeling.

There were four guys standing guard around Sage, laughing and singing along with her. One in particular had a hand on the back of the chair, and another hand resting on the back of Sage's leg, seemingly offering support so that she wouldn't fall, but also laying a silent claim. Natasha strode right up to Sage's chair-turned-stage, ready to pull Sage down and whisk her away.

"Natasha!" Sage cried at the sight of her friend. Her beard was off, stuffed into her jacket pocket. Without thinking, Sage leapt off the chair, stumbling into Natasha who struggled to support the sudden weight. The tall predatory guy moved to help steady Sage, but Natasha pulled her away.

"We're going," Natasha told Sage.

"What? No! I love this song!" Sage whined, trying to free herself from Natasha, who ignored her and kept trying to pull her away.

"Hey, Red, she doesn't wanna leave," the guy said, stepping forward, trying to place himself between Sage and Natasha. He'd found an easy target and he wasn't about to let her slip away so easily. Natasha knew the guy, though, and knew she couldn't just leave Sage with him. She had first met Brock a couple of years ago. He was in one of her core classes freshman year, where they worked on a group project together. He was a skeezy entitled asshole, and they butted heads the entire project. Then, a year later, once Natasha was friends with Steve, they ran into the asshole again at a house party, where he and Steve got into a fight. They broke furniture, a door, and the windshield and hood of some poor guy's Civic when Steve threw Brock into it. Steve paid for the damages, but Brock wormed out of any and all consequences.

"Come on, everyone's been wondering where you went," Natasha ignored Brock, pulling Sage to her side again.

"Can my new friends come?" Sage asked, completely oblivious to the tension.

"No, we have to leave. We're going somewhere else," Natasha knew it wouldn't be worth it to get into the details right then, that Sage was past the point of comprehending much. Sage was drunk enough that she could easily lure her away with a lie.

"Like an adventure?" Sage asked giddily.

"Yeah, you'll love it," Natasha lied. Sage grinned, then pulled away suddenly, catching Natasha off guard.

"Thanks for hanging out with me!" Sage said to Brock, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Brock's arms snaked around her waist, holding her in place.

"No problem, baby," he told her. Natasha rolled her eyes and grimaced. He was a disgusting guy and Sage being nice to him made her both angry and worried. Then through a part in the crowd, Natasha saw Clint and Bucky making their way towards them.

"Fuck," Natasha swore, and pulled Sage away again. "We need to go now. We're going to be late for the surprise," Natasha coaxed. Sage went with her happily, but they were too slow.

"Well, look who it is!" Brock said loudly as Bucky and Clint approached.

"Come on, we're leaving," Natasha said authoritatively to Bucky and Clint as she guided Sage away. She was eager to separate the guys who were peacocking and posturing, puffing out their chests in odd displays of male dominance. The last thing Natasha wanted to deal with was a bar fight, because if Clint and Bucky got into a fight, then Steve and Sam would come running to join, and with all the fights they've collectively gotten into in the past, it was a goddamn miracle she's never had to bail anyone out of jail before.

In a display of complete ignorance of the situation, Sage looked back over her shoulder and waved to Brock and his friends, smiling sweetly as Natasha pushed a little harder.

"What's going on?" Clint asked Natasha lowly, grabbing a fistful of Bucky's jacket to keep him from getting any closer to the Brock and his goon squad.

"Nothing, we should go," Natasha said shortly. She narrowly avoided any drama, and she was going to play it nice and safe until they got the hell out of the bar.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Bucky demanded, pulling himself out of Clint's grip, turning his back on Brock because the very sight of him made him want to hit something. "Was he bothering you?" Bucky asked Sage. Brock probably said something gross. Bucky could easily picture the guy harassing Sage, but she was all smiles. She was also clearly _drunk_.

"No!" Sage said definitively. "He bought me a birthday shot!" she said, as if that proved that he was a kind gentleman, free of a violent history.

"Stay away from him," Bucky warned, anger clouding his tone, jaw clenching from the tension. "He's an asshole."

"Don't tell me what to do," Sage said, pointing a finger in Bucky's face, her mood flipping like switch.

"That dude is bad news, Sage," Clint said, trying to back up his friend and de-escalate the tension. Sage and Bucky's eyes were locked, challenging the other to back down. Bucky stood firm, adamant in his cause. He was protecting Sage from a truly awful person. Sage had issues with people telling her what to do, further exacerbated by her blood alcohol content.

"I can talk to whoever I want to," Sage slurred, turning her burning gaze to Clint, daring him to challenge her.

"Just not him," Bucky amended. Natasha sighed. Bucky was poking the bear, picking a fight that didn't need to be fought right now.

"What, are you jealous?" Sage laughed. Clint and Natasha shared a look.

"Come to the bathroom with me, I don't want to stand in line alone," Natasha told Sage, grabbing her shoulders and steering her away from the brewing fight.

"Let's go take a walk," Clint clapped Bucky on the shoulder, trying to help Natasha separate the two.

"You're not my boyfriend, so you have no right to dic-dictate who I talk to… so, fuck off!" Sage shouted, stuttering and slurring.

Bucky's shoulders dropped, and he released the fists he didn't even realize he had made. He blinked, then looked to Natasha. "Make sure she doesn't sleep on her back," he said, then let Clint lead him away and out of the bar.

Natasha was finally able to get Sage in line for the bathroom, where she started crying. She couldn't help it. Suddenly her face felt hot, tears blurred her vision, she was short of breath, and before she knew it, she was sobbing into Natasha's hair. And then they were in the bathroom, Natasha wiping her face with a paper towel she ran under the sink.

In a haze of blurry vision and her brain feeling like it was in a tornado, Sage landed sharply on her knees in front of the toilet. Someone pulled her mussed braids out of the way as she threw up, then someone wiped her mouth with another wet paper towel. She couldn't help the semi-coherent string of apologies that she said between heaves. And then what felt like an eternity, or maybe just a few minutes, Sage was in a different bathroom. Her feet were bare and her jacket was missing, but she recognized this bathroom.

Sage woke up sometime later, god knows how long, face down on a towel on top of her bed. She was awake long enough to yank her belt free from the loops, and her pants off, sliding off the side of her bed and onto the floor. The next time she woke up, she didn't feel so bad, but walking to the bathroom to pee, she realized she was still kind of drunk. She had the sense to brush her teeth and forced herself to chug a glass of water before going back to sleep.

Sage slept almost all of Sunday. Around four in the afternoon, she felt well enough tot take a brief shower, but she was back in bed quickly after.

There was a lot that Sage knew she should have been working on, thinking about, processing. But she just wouldn't, couldn't let her mind go there. She noticed that Sharon had fished out the wedding invitation from the trash and put it on Sage's nightstand, so Sage rolled over to avoid looking at it. Out of sight, out of mind. If it wasn't immediately in her line of vision, it wasn't happening, it didn't exist. The same brand of thinking applied to everything else, too. She knew the night didn't end well. She could remember a lot of it. She remembered some brash New York guy, she remembered Natasha making her leave, and she was trying to convince herself that she was only imagining that she yelled at Bucky, that that particular part was just fiction.


	18. Everything Now

So, uh, I took a long time to get this up. This chapter was actually originally much longer, but I decided to cut it in half so I could post something. This weekend seemed like a good time to finally post something, too. Infinity War was a gut punch and I think we could all use a little chicken soup for the soul. If you haven't seen it yet, there are no spoilers here.

Again, sorry for the delay. And as always, please review if you feel so inclined.

"Everything Now" by Arcade Fire

* * *

Sage could only sit in her room, in complete darkness and denial, for so long. Once she finally gave up on trying to go back to sleep, she couldn't keep her mind quiet. All she could think about was how she acted the night before. How she embarrassed herself and yelled at someone she cared about. She felt like shit, both physically and emotionally.

Sharon steered clear of Sage. She was embarrassed by the way her roommate acted in front of her friends. She was embarrassed _by_ and _for_ Sage. She was also kind of mad. Natasha told her what Sage said to Bucky, which explained why he disappeared. Sharon felt bad for the guy. He was already in a tough situation with Sage, then Brock Rumlow shows his face, and Sage makes a drunken fool of herself, both of which only serving to make matters worse for him. As bad a night as Sage had towards the end, Sharon figured Bucky's was worse.

Steve relayed to Sharon that Bucky was being pretty tight lipped, acting like he was fine, nothing happened. Of course he was going to act fine, though. He was a twenty-something male, and not exactly an emotionally open guy.

On top of the shame, Sharon was also just pissed. Why couldn't Bucky and Sage just get their shit together? Neither one wanted to put themselves on the line in fear of getting hurt. But they were already hurting each other anyway. Sharon wanted to wash her hands of it all, let the two idiots sort out their own issues. Once she finally heard Sage puttering around her room late Sunday evening, she thought about having a come-to-Jesus talk with her, but she knew she was too mad to have that kind of conversation without potentially causing a fight.

Sage spent a lot of time that evening thinking about Bucky. She felt horrible about how she treated him. She even picked up her phone to text him, and then she rediscovered the invitation to her dad's wedding and lost the courage. She set the phone down and picked up the heavy cardstock. It was a nice, expensive looking invitation. This time she actually took the time to read the whole thing.

The wedding was soon, scheduled for Saturday, January 7 at 6 PM. The engagement couldn't have been very long. She was just home for a couple of weeks in August. Hell, the relationship couldn't have been very long, either. Her dad never mentioned a girlfriend. He's had plenty in the past, and he never had issue mentioning them, brining them to the house, flaunting them around town. And none of them had ever been serious. They were all young, hot women, usually members of the Junior League or Miss Texas hopefuls. Some of them tried to befriend Sage, foolishly thinking that they were in a long term, committed relationship. A couple of them didn't even want to acknowledge that their rich older boyfriend had a gangly, surly, teenage daughter.

Sage wondered what made this one so different. What about Susan made her father want to settle down? He was practically a Tony Stark wannabe. After losing his wife, and then making all his money, Hal Kelley pretty much emulated the lifestyle of the weapons-turned-clean energy billionaire. And then the two got into business together, and suddenly Sage couldn't recognize her father anymore. He was like the cowboy, good ol' country boy version of Stark, as far as Sage could tell.

Somewhere along the line, ever since her mother's death, Sage's relationship with her dad floundered. Sage's way of grieving was to keep her mind and body busy, so she begged to go to summer camp and signed up for after-school sports. Maybe they didn't have much of a relationship because they just never spent time together? Sage was a mystery to her father, and he to her.

Sage had been tremendously close to her mother. She could spend hours and hours in her mom's studio, just reading, doing some puzzle, working on homework, even just simply watching her paint. The smell of turpentine and linseed oil held so much nostalgia for Sage, she'd probably start crying if she smelled them again. She and her mother had been so close. Sage idolized the woman, practically worshipped her.

Thinking about Bucky made Sage angry and ashamed. Thinking about her parents made her angry and sad. When she couldn't sleep any longer, Sage tried reading. She forced herself to hyper-focus on the words on the page until she was fully immersed in the world of Bauhaus. Late Sunday night turned into early Monday morning, and soon Sage's alarm was going off for her first class. It took a few minutes for Sage to decide if she would skip it or go, until she finally decided that it would be more trouble not going.

Monday passed by both quickly and slowly. Despite it being her actual birthday, the day was uneventful and quiet. Sage got through it in a daze, exhausted form not sleeping properly and still feeling pretty crappy from all the drinking she did Saturday night. It went quickly, though, because she didn't want Tuesday to come. She was dreading seeing Bucky in class. She reasonably knew that she wouldn't have to interact with him if she didn't want to, but something about just being the same room as him instilled a deep sense of dread.

Some small part of her kind of thought that her dad would call, but as she crawled into bed Monday night, Sage realized that a call never came. She was surprised at how disappointed she felt. Sleep didn't come easy, with the dread of walking into Phillips' class the next morning kept her tossing back and forth until she choked down a couple of Nyquil's.

Sage had to take a cold shower in the morning to help her wake up, to clear the cold medicine fog. The shower and reluctance to get out of bed set Sage behind a few minutes and she had to jog to class to make it on time to avoid a public shaming form Phillips. She was one of the last people to make it into the lecture hall before Phillips started talking, and she was relieved to see that Bucky was already in his seat at the front of the room, staring down at a notebook. Sage settled herself into a seat close to the door, not caring that it wasn't a left-handed seat.

Phillips was in the middle of his lecture on code talkers when someone's phone started to ring. Phillips immediately stopped talking, and everyone started shifting in their seats to see who forgot to turn their phone on silent before coming into class. The ringtone sounded close by, and as she looked around with everyone else, Sage realized that it was a lot closer than she thought. Sage tore through her backpack, searching for the phone to turn it off.

Once in her hands, the ringing finally stopped, and Phillips launched into a lecture on phones in class, though Sage didn't hear it. The missed call had been from her dad. He never called her. Why had he called her? Was it for her birthday? He was a day late, but maybe he had gotten busy the day before? Maybe he knew she got her package and wanted to explain some things? Talk to her about his wedding and tell her about his fiancé?

Some guy sitting a seat away reached across the empty seat separating them and tapped Sage's arm, catching her attention and pointing towards the front of the room. Phillips was red-faced and in the middle of an angry rant, directed at Sage.

"Tell me," Phillips bellowed from the front of the hall, "technology has made it pretty easy to silence phones these days, correct? How hard is it to remember to turn at least mute the damn thing before class? Someone better be dead or dying for you to be receiving calls in my lecture hall."

Sage was at a loss as Phillips continued on. Was she supposed to say anything? She wasn't about to defend herself in front of the whole class, in front of Bucky. She had nothing to say except maybe an apology. But her mouth was so dry, and her voice was gone as Phillips and what felt like a million people stared at her expectantly.

All Sage could manage was to grab her backpack and leave. She was close to the door, so it was quick and easy. She could hear the murmur of the other students, the booming voice of Phillips saying something, though she didn't know what, but she kept going. It was too late to go back in and she was probably about to start crying, anyway.

Her feet carried her out of the building and halfway across campus before she realized she didn't know where she was going or what she was going to do. Rather than think about how she just rudely walked out of a class, Sage sat down on a bench and fished her phone out of her backpack again to stare at the missed call notification. With only a few seconds of thought, Sage was calling her dad back. She bounced her leg up and down anxiously, waiting for him to pick up.

"Sage?" he finally answered after the fifth ring.

"Hi, dad," Sage breathed. It was actually kind of nice to hear the deep timbre of her dad's voice. The way he said her name used to bring her a lot of comfort when she was a kid. He'd always had a thick West Texas accent that used to make Sage giggle when she was little.

"I hope I wasn't calling at a bad time," Hal Kelly said, "I don't know what your schedule is like this semester."

"No, it's OK. I just got out of a class," Sage lied. Kind of. It was technically true, even though the class hadn't officially ended when she left it.

"What class?" her dad asked, attempting to start a conversation.

"U.S. history," Sage answered. "World War Two."

"Oh, well, I bet that's interesting," he replied. "Look, if you have time, I'd like to talk to you about a few things." And here it comes. Sage couldn't help but think.

"Yeah, I guess congratulations are in order," Sage huffed. Why bother beating around the bush?

"I was fixin' to call you this weekend before the package got there," Hal started, "The delivery happened ahead of schedule, and then I lost my phone this weekend. I only just got a replacement last night."

"It's fine," Sage told him. It wasn't, but what else could she say?

"I know it sounds like a bullshit," Hal sighed. "But honest to god, my phone is lost somewhere in the woods of Fredericksburg. Went down there for the start of javelina season," he explained. Sage believed him, or at least that he went hunting.

"OK. So tell me about her," Sage pressed on.

"Susan's real nice. Real pretty, sweeter than pie," her dad gushed. Sage tried not to roll her eyes or let out an affected sigh. "I'd really like for you to come home for Thanksgiving to meet her. Just tell me when your break starts and I'll get the tickets."

"I don't really know if I'll be able to, yet. Finals are right after Thanksgiving and I have work…" Sage bluffed. She could swing it if she really wanted to, but she didn't.

"Well, take a look at your schedule and get back to me. It would mean a lot," Hal told her. Sage felt a little guilty but going home for the holiday to hang out with her dad and his new fiancé sounded worse than staying at school alone over break.

"I think you'll really like Susan. She's smart as a whip. Reminds me a lot of your mom, if I'm being honest," Hal confessed. Sage's eyes immediately started to water and she clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle any sound she made. The comparison hit Sage right in the gut, like a sack of bricks was dropped on her chest. It was a surprising reaction, and Sage did her best to hide it.

"Anyway, she helped me pick out your present. All the ladies in my office have one of those bracelets and Susan said they were a good staple. That they go with anything," Hal explained. "If you don't like it, or you want another color or something, we can exchange it when you come home for the holiday," he suggested. Sage felt guilty. She didn't even know where the bracelet was. She remembered telling Sharon she could have it, but she didn't know if Sharon actually took up the offer. Sage felt like she would need to ask for it back.

"No, I like the gold. It's pretty," Sage finally choked out, having to clear her throat to speak audibly. "It's way too much, though. Might be too fancy for college," she said, trying to hint that she neither needed nor wanted it.

"Don't worry about losing it, it's insured. I know you like funkier things. Bring it home with you and we'll exchange it," he suggested. He was really trying, and Sage could actually tell.

"OK," Sage agreed. She didn't want to start an argument about her birthday present, not when it seemed like her father was really trying to accommodate her. She'd at least try to meet him halfway.

"Well, I got a meeting here in a bit, and I'm sure you're busy, too. If you wanna talk some more about all this, just give me a call, sweetheart," Hal said, bringing the conversation to an end.

"I will," Sage said. She wanted to know more, but not right now. She'd think about everything for a bit longer, then she'd call him back.

"Have a good day. Love you," he said.

"Love you, too," Sage replied. They didn't typically end phone calls that way. It was weird, but in a pleasant way. Sharon always ended phone calls with her parents with an exchange of "I love you's", so Sage knew it was normal for other families, just not hers.

Once they hung up, Sage put her phone in her backpack, put her elbows on her knees, and rested her head in her hands. She couldn't decide how she felt. She was confused. She felt relieved to finally talk to her father, and surprised that it went decently. She was mad that he didn't bother to tell her about her step-mother to-be sooner, and mad that he dared compare this strange woman to her mother. She still felt a lot of guilt and embarrassment for how she left class, too. It was all a little too much, and the tears started flowing.

For being on a bench in the middle of campus, Sage tried to be as discreet as possible about her crying. She kept the sobbing, sniffling, and hiccupping to a minimum.

"Hey, is that… Sage? Are you crying?" Sage's head snapped up at the sound of her name. She wiped at her face quickly and blinked away her tears as best she could, forcing a smile onto her face as Sam and Clint approached.

"Hey, guys," Sage croaked, her voice clouded.

"You fail a test or something?" Sam asked, coming to take a seat next to Sage on the bench and draping an arm across her back. Clint stood in front of her, blocking her from passersby.

"No, I'm fine," Sage assured. It wasn't exactly true, but she wasn't not fine. "It's just stress," she told them. That part was 100% true.

"Phillips?" Clint guessed. He knew the professor's reputation for being hard-ass.

"No, just family shit," Sage said simply, clearing her throat again and wiping at her face with her sweatshirt sleeves.

"Is everything OK?" Sam asked, rubbing her back sweetly, looking at her with concern. Sage avoided his gaze.

"Yeah, nobody's dying," Sage laughed humorlessly, avoiding an in-depth answer.

"Is it your dad?" Clint asked.

"My dad?" Sage repeated. How would he know to ask about her dad?

"Yeah, Laura mentioned that you and him don't get along," Clint shrugged.

"Who told her that?" Sage asked defensively, bristling at the idea of everyone talking about her relationship with her dad.

"Sharon, I think," Clint said cautiously, sensing that he was treading on thin ice. Sage tried to swallow her anger. Logically she knew that Sharon wouldn't gossip about her and her family for fun, that her telling anyone about her family matters wasn't malicious. But it left a bad taste in Sage's mouth nonetheless.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me crying in public," Sage finally warned, gathering her backpack into her lap, getting ready to leave.

"You sure you're OK? Can we walk you to your class? Or home? Maybe you should go home," Sam suggested, trying to mother Sage.

"I'm fine, I promise. I just haven't slept in way too long. I'm gonna go home, but you don't need to walk me," Sage assured Sam. He stood up and held out a gentlemanly hand to help Sage up.

"OK, but text if you need anything," Sam told her. Sage smiled in an effort to pacify Clint and Sam. They shared dubious looks between themselves as Sage walked away. They both knew what happened Saturday night and couldn't help but wonder if part of the reason why Sage was crying on a bench in public had anything to do with Bucky.

Once home, Sage crawled into bed for a nap, but failed to set an alarm to wake her for her next class, and slept well into the evening. She woke up to the sound of Sharon's laughter and Steve's voice. They were low on the list of people that she wanted to see, but Sage had to pee, so she crept out of her room to sneak off to the bathroom.

Peaking her head out of her room, Sage saw that Sharon was alone, and only speaking to Steve on speaker phone. Sharon perked up and looked surprised to see Sage.

"Hey, I didn't know you were home," Sharon said, interrupting Steve's story about his horrific group project.

"Who?" Steve asked.

"Hi, Steve," Sage said loudly, emerging from her room and closing the door behind her.

"Sage, hey, how are you?" Steve asked after a moment of trying to figure out who was talking. Everyone sounded different on the phone. Sage didn't particularly like the way that Steve asked how she was, as if he was concerned and consoling her. She had a paranoid feeling that despite her warning, Sam or Clint, or both, blabbed. The particular way that Sharon was staring at her only heightened the paranoia.

"Never been better," Sage lied.

"Oh, good," Steve replied, not buying what Sage was trying to sell. Bucky probably told him about how she walked out of class after getting an ass chewing of a lifetime from Phillips, and he probably thought that Sam and Clint found her crying because of that.

"We heard what happened," Sharon finally announced, confirming Sage's fears.

"Christ, well, let's get the lecture over with," Sage cursed with a deep sigh.

"Phillips is tough but he's fair. You should go talk to him during his office hours," Steve instructed. So they were going to start with that first. Bucky, the little snitch.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," Sage pacified. She frankly hadn't given much thought to what she would do about Phillips. The suggestion seemed logical. She didn't particularly want to do that, though, fearing a fierce lecture, only this time it would be one-on-one in a ten by twelve room, which was somehow scarier than in a lecture hall full of three hundred witnesses.

Sage left Steve and Sharon to further discuss their friends' lives, heading for the bathroom to pee and maybe take a nice bath. She could hear the couple still talking until she turned on the water, which blessedly drowned out their voices. Sage took her sweet time in the bath. Laying down, head submerged far enough under the water so that only her eyes and nose were clear of water, Sage focused on the sound of the running water and nothing else.

It was a nice bath, and Sage was sad to get out. Once dressed, Sage went into the kitchen to make some food, as she couldn't really remember the last time she actually ate anything. That was when Sharon pounced.

"Are you depressed?" Sharon asked her, point-blank. Sage looked up from the sandwich she was making, giving her roommate an unamused glare.

"No," Sage answered simply.

"Not like clinical depression. I mean like, are you feeling shitty about everything that happened this weekend?" Sharon clarified. She was determined.

"No shit," Sage shot back. Who wouldn't feel shitty about everything?

"What do you feel worse about? Bucky or your dad?" Sharon prodded. Sage couldn't pick a winner between the two, so she shrugged.

"I can ignore my dad, like I usually do. I guess the Bucky thing feels more urgent," Sage shrugged again. They were both honestly tied, though they hurt in different ways. The idea of her dad moving on, and how he mentioned her mother, and even dared to compare his new girlfriend to her, felt like the bottom was falling out. Like the ascension of a rollercoaster, lots and lots of build up and anticipation, her body tense in preparation for the horrifying drop. Being mean to Bucky and making a fool of herself at both her birthday and in class just made Sage want to crawl under a rock, she felt ashamed and like she was the lowest of the low. If she even apologized to Bucky, _again_ , would he even listen at this point?

"What are you going to do?" Sharon asked, moving to stand across the kitchen island and stare at Sage expectantly.

"I have no idea, but let me know if you have any viable suggestions," Sage muttered, then took a bite of her sandwich.

"Talk to him," Sharon answered easily. "Not in public, but don't ambush him at his house or anything," she added after a second more of thought.

"I'm curious if Steve has an opinion on this," Sage mused. "I mean, I know he does, but I want to know what he's told you," she specified.

"He doesn't think that Bucky will make any moves because you scared him," Sharon said bluntly. Sage nodded in agreement. How could she not have scared him? Had the roles been reversed, she would have taken it badly, too.

"This sucks," Sage muttered. Sharon had to agree; it was nice having her roommate mesh so well with her friends. If this shit between her and Bucky didn't get sorted out, she knew Sage wouldn't want to hang out with everyone anymore. Plus, they got along so well and they were so cute together.

Sage took another Nyquil to make herself go to sleep that night. She'd totally fucked up her sleep schedule and needed to get it under control. She usually didn't like to abuse cold medicine to help her sleep, but she had somewhere important to be before her first class and she didn't want to be a sleepless zombie for it.

After waking up early, actually taking a shower before class and getting dressed in jeans and a thick sweater, Sage marched across campus to a building she'd never been in before. She actually arrived a bit earlier than she planned. Professor Phillip's office hours were from 8 to 10:30 on Wednesday mornings. It was 7:50 and his office door was locked and the lights were off, so Sage sat down on a bench in the hallway and waited. She didn't wait too long, just long enough to work up a nasty case of the butterflies, and then Phillips appeared at the end of the hall a few minutes before 8. He walked right by her, unlocked his office, flipped on the lights, then stood in the doorway and stared at her expectantly.

"I'm assuming you're here for me," he said. His tone was hard to read, but it always was. Sage nodded and stood up quickly, following him into his office.

"I just wanted to come apologize about yesterday in class," Sage said bravely. She was terrified, but she had some things she wanted to get off her chest. She had to make shit right.

Phillips nodded, took off his coat and hung it on a hook behind the door, and sat down behind his desk. He gestured to the chair opposite him for Sage to sit. She sat down with her bag in her lap, as if it were some sort of shield that could protect her from him.

"Well, let's hear it," he told her expectantly.

"I know you don't allow phones in your class and I completely spaced and forgot to put it on silent before coming in to class," Sage said in a rush of words. "I was up all night and not thinking, not that the reason matters, because it happened anyway. It was beyond rude and I freaked out."

"I was worried you were gonna start crying," he said. Sage hadn't expected that sort of response.

"Well, I cried after I left," she admitted. Why? Why would she tell him that?

"You looked like you saw a ghost. Everything alright?" he asked, actually sounding as though he were concerned. His tone threw Sage off guard.

"Oh, yeah, just family stuff," she said. She didn't want to go through her whole family drama, she felt like she already talked enough. But Phillips remained silent and Sage felt like she had to fill the dead air. "It was my dad and he never calls and it threw me."

Phillips sat up in his seat a bit straighter than he already had been. He looked at her expectantly, suspecting the worst case scenario. "We just don't really get along and he's getting remarried to someone I've never even heard him talk about."

Something in Professor Phillips' face softened a fraction and he nodded. "I understand," he finally said. "But let's not make it a habit."

"Of course, sir, absolutely. Never again," Sage swore. The weight on her shoulders lessened, though there was still a bit of business that she needed to address.

"Most students wouldn't have the guts to come in here and own up to that. Apparently I scare people," Phillips told her appreciatively.

"Well, my mama raised me right," Sage smiled, laying the Texas accent on thick. Phillips had a very familiar sounding accent, and she'd bet serious money he was a Texan, too. Maybe a shared origin would make him even more amiable towards her. He smiled at the comment, proving Sage's hunch true.

"I'll see you in class on Thursday," Phillips said, moving to stand.

"Actually," Sage said, making Phillips sit back down and stare at her expectantly. "I'd like to talk about something else, too, if you have the time."

"Shoot."

"It's about your TA," Sage started.

"Mr. Barnes," Phillips nodded, understanding where the conversation was going.

"Right. I just want you to know that he never did anything to help me. I didn't ask, and he didn't offer. I know it's still technically against the rules or a conflict of interested, or whatever, but it was all very above the table," Sage explained. She didn't know what good it would do, and she didn't expect Bucky to change his mind on anything, but she felt like she needed to defend herself, and Bucky, to their professor. She especially didn't want Phillips to think any less of Bucky. He was just another professor that she'd probably never see again, but to Bucky he was a resource and a mentor.

"We've already discussed this at length, Ms. Kelley," Phillips told her. Sage realized that she never introduced herself to him, and that she half expected him to not know her name, since the class had three hundred students. Him knowing exactly who she was shouldn't have surprised her, though.

"I know, but Bucky respects you so much and… I don't want to be the reason… I don't want to ruin anything for him," Sage stumbled through her thought.

"He's a good man. I suspect he'll be just fine," Phillips told her. Sage wasn't really sure how to respond, besides nodding.

"I will, however, be personally grading your work for the remainder of the semester. I've already gone back and looked at your past work. Your grades stand as they are," he told her. Sage nodded along, thinking that was fair. She was glad that he agreed with Bucky's grading.

"I was wondering… if maybe I should actually just drop the class," Sage finally said. It was something she'd been thinking about, ever since she offered to do it when she and Bucky first got caught.

"Ah," Phillips said simply, nodding. "It's a bit late in the semester for that. You've already done a lot of work. Good work, too," he said. "I'll sign the paperwork if that's what you really want, but you'll be taking an incomplete."

"I know, I've thought about that. I still have a few more semesters before I'm able to graduate so I have the time to retake your class," Sage told him, demonstrating that she really had given the option some thought.

"Is it worth it?" Phillips asked, looking Sage right in the eyes. It was intimidating, but Sage only had to think on it for a few seconds.

"Yes, I believe so," she said with conviction. Taking the class again really wasn't a huge deal. Especially now that she knew what to expect, and it wouldn't be the first time for her to drop a class or take one over again. She was already repeating a few classes that she took at TMU that didn't transfer over. What was one more redundant class? And if it meant making things right in her friend group, and with Bucky, then it seemed worth it.

"Then I'll email the registrar this morning," Phillips agreed. Everything was turning out a lot easier than Sage anticipated. "I only teach the course in the fall, but a colleague of mine teaches it during the summer if that suits your schedule better."

"Oh, thank you," Sage said. "You're a good teacher, so you'll probably see me next fall," she smiled.

"Then I'll see you next year," Phillips said, standing from his desk chair. Sage stood as well, and followed him to the door.

"Thank you, Professor," Sage said, smiling as she stepped out of his office.

"Don't mention it," he said, then closed the door behind her. Now pretty much all of the weight on Sage's shoulders was lifted. She took a deep, satisfied breath and started down the hall. She was a bit turned around in the unfamiliar building, but eventually found the stairs. She pulled open the door to the stairwell just as Bucky reached the final step on the landing. He looked up from the ground and was visibly startled to see Sage standing there staring at him.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "How are you?" he asked, wanting desperately to know what happened the day before to make her rush out of class looking like she was a second away from crying. Her being in that building, on that floor, meant that she probably just came from Phillips' office, and he wanted to know why.

"I'm OK," Sage said honestly. She actually felt pretty OK now. Bucky nodded, taking in her expression, how she seemed pleasantly surprised at her own answer.

"Good," he said slowly, not sure how or if he could ask any more questions. There was a lot he wanted to say.

"Are you busy later?" she asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Oh, um, no. I'm free after class. Around 4," he stammered, caught off guard by the question. He didn't expect her to want to hang out, since the last time he saw her she told him to fuck off.

"I owe you an apology and an explanation, and there's a lot a want to tell you," she told him.

"Sage," Bucky started. He was about to tell her that everything was fine, but that would be a lie. She hurt him, and he had been so mad Saturday night after he left the bar. But he could see the sincerity in her, he knew her well enough to know that how she acted wasn't her, and he didn't want her to feel bad.

"Please," she interrupted him. She feared he was about to say no or that he didn't want to talk, but she needed to. She didn't expect him to forgive, but she at least owed him the full story. The 'please' practically killed Bucky and he agreed in an instant.

"Sure. I'll be home by 4:30, if you want to come by," he told her. She smiled at him, and he could've melted. Part of him was still mad at her, another part was so confused and conflicted, but the currently largest part of him just wanted to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair. That smile pulled him in, but he remained still, fighting the urge to step forward or reach out.

"Thank you. I'll see you later," she said. She moved as though she were about to hug him, then thought better of it, and passed by him to descend the stairs. Bucky stared after her until she disappeared around a bend in the stairwell, and he left to get to his meeting with Professor Phillips.


	19. Revival

I'm back into the swing of this story, y'all! I can't believe I'm already almost at chapter 20. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to sustain this story for super long, and yet here I am. I just really love these characters. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter; it truly means the world to me. This chapter gets pretty fluffy, which honestly, is most of my plan for the rest of the story. These poor people deserve it, goddamnit!

"Revival" by Jamestown Revival

* * *

During his office hours, Phillips relayed his conversation with Sage to Bucky. Shock wasn't a good enough word to describe how Bucky felt when Phillips told him what they discussed. The professor left out the parts about her family, choosing only to tell Bucky about how she defended him and dropped the class.

Bucky couldn't believe that she'd drop the class. Just for him. Just to protect his relationship with Phillips. He didn't expect her to do that; he didn't want her to do that. When she first offered, he'd told her not to. She was putting herself behind; she had put so much time and energy into the class already, just to throw it away for him. He wasn't worth it, Bucky thought.

He got caught up on campus and didn't get to leave until a bit later than he planned. Bucky didn't get home until maybe ten minutes before he told Sage to be there. As he drove down the street and neared his house, he spotted a familiar silver 4-Runner parked on the street. Pulling into the driveway, he saw Sage sitting on his front step with a white box in her lap. She smiled and stood up as he got out of the car and waited for him to cross the yard and meet her at the door.

"Sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"You're not late. I'm just early," she told him as he unlocked the door, and followed him inside. "I brought you and Steve cinnamon rolls," she said, holding out the pastry box.

"Is this a peace offering?" Bucky teased, taking the box and opening it to inspect the humungous rolls.

"In the South, you never show up empty-handed, especially if you're gonna grovel for forgiveness," she retorted, watching as Bucky reached into the box, ripped off a piece of one of the rolls, and ate it. "Oh, come on, the middle is the best part, don't eat the outside!"

"Oh, I'll get to it," he assured with his mouth full of cinnamon roll. "Steve isn't getting any of these, by the way." Sage laughed. Bucky lead her down the hall to his room. He wasn't sure where the best place to have this conversation would be, but he didn't want Steve walking in on it when he eventually came home. His room seemed safe.

"Phillips told me you dropped the class," he said, jumping head first into the conversation once they reached his room. He lightly kicked the door shut, though it didn't close all the way, and sat on the edge of his bed, pulling on another piece of cinnamon roll. Sage turned his desk chair to face the bed and sat down.

"I did," she admitted. "It seemed like the right thing to do."

"I told you that you didn't need to do that. You've done so much work for it already," he said.

"I know, but I don't mind. Since Phillips found out about us, it just made things so difficult," she said. "I wanted him to know that you didn't do anything wrong, and I just wanted things to be easy again." Bucky listened intently, but didn't say anything.

"Which I guess brings me to my next point," Sage sighed. "I'm really sorry for being a dick to you Saturday night. I was in a weird mood and I drank way too much and I misdirected my anger on you."

"Who were you actually mad at?" Bucky finally asked.

"My dad," Sage sighed again. She super didn't want to talk about that _again_ , but if she couldn't tell Bucky about it, then what was even the point of her being there?

"Oh," Bucky said quietly. He admittedly didn't know much about Sage's relationship with her dad, other than that it generally wasn't great.

"I found out on Friday that he's getting married, in like a really shitty way, and I didn't handle it very well," she explained. Bucky looked surprised. He didn't expect that. He then realized how little he knew about Sage's relationship with her dad, because he wouldn't have thought that him getting married would be that upsetting. But apparently it was.

"I'm sorry," was all Bucky could think to say. Sage smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. It was pained.

"My dad's never had a serious girlfriend. They've always just been arm candy, which was disgusting on its own," Sage took a deep breath. She hated talking about this, she hated saying it out loud for someone else to hear. But she took one look at Bucky, and saw how he was looking at her, listening to her, and it didn't seem quite so bad anymore. "I didn't even know he was dating anyone seriously and he sent me their wedding invitation in the mail."

"That's… shitty," Bucky said, struggling to find the right words. He didn't want to make Sage uncomfortable, and he knew that she wouldn't want him to make it a big deal, but he struggled to find a good middle ground.

"Yeah," she agreed. "He was actually the one calling me when I walked out of class yesterday," she revealed.

"Oh," the conversation felt so one-sided to Bucky, like he wasn't contributing anything. He wanted to offer support, but he didn't know how, or if it would be well received. Steve told him how Sam and Clint found her crying on campus, and he could see how upset she looked when Phillips was scolding her in class. Everything was clicking into place and his heart ached for her.

"I kind of heard about how you were… crying… on a bench," he admitted, scared that he would embarrass her for bringing that up.

"Those rats," Sage muttered, cursing Sam and Clint for snitching on her.

"Yeah, I guess Sam told Steve," Bucky confirmed. Sage rolled her eyes.

Sage took in a deep breath, and looked like she was trying to figure out what to say next.

"I'm not mad at you," Bucky told her, pulling he from her thoughts. She stared at him, surprised. "Not anymore." She chuckled at the addition.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"I haven't dated in a really long time," Bucky started. "I knew it would be hard, but I didn't think it would be like this." Sage's face fell at his words. Was he trying to tell her that it wasn't worth it?

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"It's OK," he assured her. "You're lucky I really like you," he grinned. Sage returned the smile.

"I'm realizing that I'm not good at letting people get close to me," Sage thought aloud. "I'm working on it, though."

"I know what you mean," Bucky sympathized. He really, truly knew how that felt. It was easier to be alone, until it wasn't.

"So," Sage finally said after a few moments of silence. "What now?" she asked. She knew she shouldn't expect anything more from Bucky. She was lucky to even be talking to him now. But her greedy little heart wanted more. She was just afraid to ask for it.

"Want to go out Friday night?" he asked, returning his attention to the rest of his cinnamon roll.

"Like a date?" Sage grinned and laughed.

"Like a date," Bucky confirmed, smiling confidently.

"You're on," Sage agreed.

"These are really fucking good," Bucky said, reaching into the pastry box for the last piece of the roll. "Good thing you brought them or else I wouldn't have let you inside," he teased.

"Every girl knows the best way to get to a man's heart is through his stomach," Sage joked.

"It's one hundred percent true," Bucky said with his mouth full. He held out the box to her. "You want any?"

"I'm good. I got some for me and Sharon and stress ate two on the way over here," she confessed, holding up her hand to decline his offer.

"Good, because I don't think I want to share," he said after swallowing the large bite. "Put these over there so I don't eat all of them right here and now," he closed the box and handed it to Sage to put on his desk. She laughed and placed the box on top of a stack of books, safely out of his reach.

"I guess I'll leave you alone now. I have some reading to catch up on," Sage said, standing up from the chair. She didn't feel like she actually wanted to leave, now that things felt back on track with Bucky, but she didn't want to push anything. Bucky stood with her.

"You can stay and hang out if you want to procrastinate a little more," Bucky offered. He didn't want her to go now. He liked having her around, and he had missed her. He could tell that she wasn't totally OK, and he didn't want her to be alone, to feel alone. He had forgiven her so easily, and he wondered if maybe he shouldn't have. But he had a feeling that he could catch her keying his car and he'd forgive her. He was so deep in it now, he realized.

"You're not busy?" she questioned, trying to gauge if he really wanted her to stay or was just being nice. He shrugged and shook his head.

"Want to watch _The Office_? I'm about half way through," he said.

"You've never seen it before?" she asked, shocked. Who on the planet hasn't seen it?

"Not all the way through. I started it and now I can't stop," he chuckled, moving to turn on the small TV sitting on top of his dresser. He moved to his nightstand to grab the remote and sat down on his bed against the pillows. He used the remote to find the next episode and waited for Sage to sit down on the other side of the bed before hitting play.

"I'm more of a _Parks and Rec_ girl, myself, but this is a must-see, too," she told him, settling against his pillows. It felt kind of weird and awkward sitting down on his bed and getting comfortable. The last time she'd been on it, they were making out pretty heavily.

Bucky toed off his shoes as the show started to play, and Sage did the same. She felt bad about having her shoes on his bed and had her feet dangling over the edge to avoid it. Once he took his shoes off, though, she felt comfortable enough removing her own. She pulled her feet up towards her body and leaned her knees to the side, knocking into Bucky's own knee softly. He didn't move away.

They watched the Moroccan Christmas episode quietly with some chatter here and there. Though they had made up, Bucky and Sage still felt a little awkward together. They used to be pretty comfortable around each other, and Sage wondered how long it would be until they got back to that. Or maybe she was too much in her own head, and needed to stop thinking about how they were acting, and just act.

"What else are you watching?" Sage asked conversationally, turning her head against the wooden headboard to look at Bucky.

"Sam is trying to get me to watch _The Wire_ , but I'll probably wait until after I finish this and _The Sopranos_ ," he answered, not taking his eyes off the TV.

"OK, definitely finish _the Sopranos_ ," Sage instructed. "Are you into the gritty crime dramas?" She guessed. He shrugged.

"Dunno, never really realized it," he said, shifting his gaze from the screen to Sage.

"Like _Sons of Anarchy_ , _Breaking Bad_ , that kind of thing?" Sage continued, trying to gauge Bucky's taste.

"I already finished _Breaking Bad_. Steve is actually really into _Sons,"_ Bucky chuckled.

"Oh my god," Sage laughed. "It's the motorcycles, isn't it?" She couldn't really picture upright citizen Steve Rogers liking a show like that, but for a guy that wore khakis, he got into a lot of scrapes and really liked his motorcycle. He definitely had a well-camouflaged dark side.

The pair continued talking about TV shows, including what they watched when they were kids. Sage already knew that Bucky was a WWE kid, but learned that he was also really into _Gargoyles_ , and as a preteen _The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air_ and _Boy Meets World_ , which wasn't a surprise considering Bucky and Steve were probably the real-life versions of Cory and Shawn. Sage explained her complete fascination with and emulation of _Clarissa Explains It All,_ right down to the headband and bike shorts.

On his way home, Steve was both surprised and happy to see Sage's car parked in front of his house. He came into the house quietly, careful not to disturb any possible intense conversations that might be taking place. He didn't know if Bucky and Sage would be having a heart-to-heart, some kind of fight, they might even just be making up _physically_ , and he didn't want to interrupt anything.

All Steve could hear, though, when he walked into the house was the opening theme music for _The Office_ , and the sound of Bucky and Sage laughing. Not what he expected, but he'd take it. He walked quietly down the hall to his room, not having any intention to stop by Bucky's room and intrude, but he stopped in the slightly open doorway when Sage called out a ' _hi Steve_.'

"What are you two up to?" Steve asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Watching TV when I should be reading," Sage answered him with a smile. It certainly seemed like they'd made up. Bucky was even smiling. "I brought you cinnamon rolls," Sage pointed to the pastry box sitting on Bucky's desk.

"Why did you tell him?" Bucky jokingly scolded.

"Because I knew you wouldn't, you greedy pig," Sage knocked her knee into Bucky's for emphasis.

"She's not wrong. They're good," Bucky told Steve who just stood in the doorway grinning like an idiot. Steve was so happy to see them like this, though he wondered how long it would last. They seemed to have a pattern.

"If you don't save me one, I'm showing her pictures from Halloween of '99," Steve warned. At the mere mention of photographic blackmail, Sage perked up and grinned.

"Steve, my friend, my pal," Sage sat up from against the pillows, smiling evilly at Steve.

"Why did you bring that up, you punk?" Bucky sighed. He knew exactly what Steve was talking about, and he knew the pictures were something he didn't want any girl, ever, to see. And now that Steve brought them up, he knew Sage wouldn't stop until she saw the picture.

"It's really good," Steve said conspiratorially, smiling and laughing with Sage, who was taking delight in how uncomfortable Bucky was.

"I bet you don't even have a copy of it here," Bucky guessed, trying his luck. Why would Steve keep pictures of them when they were kids?

"No, but all it takes is a quick email to your mom," Steve warned. Bucky knew his mom would give him up in a second and send dozens of scans of old pictures to Steve within hours of getting the email.

"You can have all of the cinnamon rolls, in that case," Sage offered in reward, trying to sway Steve to her side.

"You guys better save me one," he warned. "I just came home to change for the gym. You gonna be ready soon?" Steve asked Bucky.

"Oh, uh," Bucky suddenly remembered that he and Steve had planned to go workout together that evening. Sage asking if they could talk after classes, and her hanging out with him made the plan completely slip his mind. Bucky didn't want to kick Sage out; he wanted to keep watching TV and talking about nothing.

"Don't worry, I'm a big boy. I can go by myself," Steve chuckled, seeing the torn look on Bucky's face. "Or Sage can join us."

"Oh, no, I don't want to intrude on _guy time_ ," Sage said, sitting up straight and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Steve and Bucky laughed at the idea of "guy time", and truthfully neither one of them thought she would be intruding on anything.

"This is your VIP ticket to the gun show, doll face," Bucky teased, then sat up, pulled up the sleeve of his t-shirt, and flexed exaggeratedly while making a pouty face.

"Oh yeah, who would want to pass that up?" Steve said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You're always welcome to join us, but you don't have to," he told Sage before leaving the room to go change.

"So you in?" Bucky asked once Steve was gone. He actually looked hopeful, and Sage started to feel like it was a genuine invitation, and not just a polite offer.

"I don't know, I'm not big into lifting," she said warily, though grinning despite herself. Sage already made up her mind to go, but what girl didn't enjoy playing just a little hard to get?

"We'll go easy on you," Bucky promised. "I'll even buy you one of those disgusting green juices after," he added, sweetening the pot.

"Ok, but only if you try the disgusting green juice."

"Deal," Bucky grinned, holding out his hand to shake on the bargain. Sage laughed and shook his hand. Steve could hear the laughter from his room as he changed out of his jeans, and almost sighed in relief he was so glad.

"Clint's working tonight anyway, so if y'all get boring I can go bother him," Sage added as they both stood from Bucky's bed.

"Do we need to swing by your place for you to change?" he asked while rummaging through his dresser for his gym clothes.

"I have pants and a pair of shoes in my car, if you'll let me borrow a shirt," she answered.

"You know, some girls don't wear shirts to the gym," Bucky mused, smiling mischievously.

"I don't know how I feel about not wearing a shirt in my place of work," Sage laughed, rolling with the joke easily.

"Some girls do that, too," he added.

"Yeah, they're called strippers." Sage hit Bucky's arm on her way out of the room. She retrieved her yoga pants and shoes from her car quickly and went directly to Steve and Bucky's shared bathroom. She changed her pants and pulled on the worn old pair of lime green running shoes. She met Steve in the hallway, still wearing her sweater and holding her jeans and boots in her arms. Bucky opened his bedroom door, dressed in sweats and holding a folded shirt out for Sage.

"Do you get special parking at the gym?" Steve asked Sage as she took the shirt from Bucky.

"Yeah, employee parking, why?" she answered.

"You're driving," Steve smiled, then walked down the hall to the kitchen to fill up a water bottle.

"You don't have to drive," Bucky said, then Sage shoved her jeans and boots into Bucky's arms to hold. She quickly pulled her sweater up over her head, stuffed that into Bucky's arms too, and pulled on his shirt. She took her clothes back from Bucky and trailed after Steve, leaving Bucky alone in the hallway.

"Your Uber awaits, boys!" Sage called from the front of the house, stirring Bucky from his haze and drawing him and Steve to the front door. Steve locked up the house and let Bucky ride shotgun in Sage's car. She really didn't mind driving, she liked being the chauffeur most of the time anyway.

"Nice shirt," Steve commented from the back seat.

"Yeah, my shirts look good on you," Bucky smirked confidently. Steve rolled his eyes but passed on the opportunity to tease. He figured Sage would clap back anyway.

"I look good in everything," Sage said confidently as she reversed out of the driveway. Steve snorted at the confidence, and Bucky laughed. He had to agree, though.

The car radio was tuned to the only country music station in the area, and both Steve and Bucky complained about the choice. Bucky tried to reach for the dial to change the station, but Sage slapped his forearm.

"Do it again and I'll dead leg you," she warned. Sage tried to keep her face serious, but a smile tugged at her mouth and Bucky could see the happy glint in her eyes behind the scratched lenses of her aviator sunglasses.

"I think I'd actually like to see you try and dead leg Buck," Steve said thoughtfully from the back seat. "God knows he deserves it."

"Don't make me come back there," Bucky laughed, looking over his shoulder at Steve.

"I'm also not above purple nurples," Sage added, making Steve laugh loudly. He'd enjoy seeing that, too.

"Sharon once gave me a five star that lasted two days, so you better watch it, too," Sage warned Steve.

"Damn," Bucky whistled. "What did you do to deserve that?"

"I pantsed her," she answered, making both guys erupt in laughter.

"You're lucky she didn't strangle you," Steve chuckled, smoothing his hair out of his face.

"Well, she untied my bikini top earlier that day in front of the hot life guard. We swore a truce after the five star," Sage explained.

"What a lucky life guard," Bucky teased. Did he over step a line? Was that a weird thing to say? He hasn't seen her boobs, but he'd like to. If she'd let him. And maybe talking about them wasn't the best way to get to that point?

"We actually got in a ton of trouble. Got a lecture from the camp director about sexual harassment and public indecency. We were fourteen years old and he was probably our age now. We got banned from the pool for two weeks and had to write a letter of apology," Sage told them, though she giggled through the whole retelling. Back then it had been mortifying. Their parents were furious. But now, it was hilarious.

"That's the best summer camp story I've ever heard, thank you," Steve said. Sharon was pretty tight lipped about stories form her childhood. She claimed she never did dumb shit, not like Steve and Bucky did when they were kids. Steve had millions of stories of him and Bucky getting into trouble together. It was nice to hear that Sharon got into trouble, too. And hearing the stories from Sage gave Steve a bit of peace of mind. If she could handle a little trouble-making, she was probably a really good match for Bucky.

Parking was a breeze, thanks to Sage's employee parking pass. As they walked into the gym, Sage rolled up the sleeves of Bucky's shirt, which originally fell to her elbows. It was a little too cold to just be wearing a t-shirt, but the walk to the rec center wasn't long. They each flashed their student IDs to get into the building, and Sage followed the guys to a part of the gym she never ventured to- the weights.

"So, like, what do you guys do with these?" Sage asked, strolling up to the rack of free weights and attempting to lift a fifty pound weight. She struggled to pull it completely off the rack with both hands, and Bucky grabbed it from her before she could drop it on her foot.

"Try this instead," Steve handed her a three pound weight, smirking like an asshole. Sage flipped him off and declined the insulting weight.

"I really don't want to be held responsible for you pulling something," Bucky said.

"So show me what to do, Hulk Hogan," Sage taunted.

"Start small and work you way up," he said matter-of-factly, then handed her a ten-pound weight. Sage took it with both hands.

"Can you hold it with one hand?" he asked.

"Don't be an asshole," Sage warned, making Bucky laugh. He noticed that Steve had wandered off to do his own thing. He was fine to let Bucky waste his time flirting instead of working out, but he wanted to be at least a little productive.

"Sorry, I'm not," Bucky tried to straighten his face to be serious, but couldn't quite wipe the smile completely from his face. Sage ended up smiling, too, as Bucky showed her how to properly execute basic bicep curls.

"So you just do this for an hour?" Sage asked boredly. Bucky told her to count to ten, rest, then go again. But she'd stopped counting a long time ago and let her mind wander. It was boring.

"Usually you increase the weight and do different moves," he told her, already starting to break a bit of a sweat, simply because he was actually putting in some effort. "You're totally bored, aren't you?"

"Completely," she sighed, setting her little baby weights back down on the rack.

"It won't break my heart if you go do something else," he laughed, pausing from his workout.

"Thank god," Sage sighed in relief, making Bucky laugh. "Come find me when you and Steve are sweaty enough," she said, then walked away quickly. She appreciated the way lifting weights made Bucky's arms look, but dear god was it boring to actually do her own lifting.

Sage went straight to the front desk and asked one of the students working it if Clint was working. Sage recognized the kid but couldn't remember his name. There were so many students that worked part time at the rec center.

"He's in the office," the kid told Sage. He recognized her as an employee, too, and didn't try to stop her from rounding the side of the desk and going through the door marked "Employees Only." Beyond that door was a break room and the office, which was really just a room full of work tables and a few computers. Across the room Sage saw Clint working on a schedule on one of the computers. He saw her from the corner of his eye and looked up, smiling.

"What are you doing here on your day off?" he asked quietly so he wouldn't disturb the other people in the room.

"Steve and Bucky tried to get me to lift with them but it's incredibly boring," Sage explained after pulling up a chair to sit with Clint.

"Steve and Bucky, huh? Sounds like there's a story here," Clint said, abandoning the schedule in favor of some juicy gossip.

"We made up, we're friends again, I brought them baked goods, they invited me to work out with them, I got bored, now I'm here," she explained simply.

"You seem a lot better than the last time I saw you," Clint commented carefully. Sage shrugged.

"I feel better, I guess. I crossed some things off my list."

"Well that's good. No more public break downs, I hope," Clint smiled compassionately.

"You and me both," Sage laughed. She was grateful that Clint didn't ask any more questions, or want any more specifics. She didn't want to go through the entire how or why she cried in public. Then Sage's eyes landed on the computer screen and she was reminded of her new plans for Friday night.

"I have a huge favor to ask," Sage started, causing Clint to sight deeply. "You can say no and I can reschedule my plans, but I would owe you a huge one if you covered my shift on Friday," Sage smiled as sweetly as she could.

"Why do you need me to cover your shift?" Clint asked dubiously before agreeing.

"I have a date," Sage told him.

"With who?" he asked.

"Steve," she lied. Clint's jaw dropped and his eyes widened, but before he could swear or yell, Sage started laughing. "I'm kidding! It's with Bucky," she giggled as Clint took a deep breath.

"Is that how you wanna treat your friend when you're asking them for a favor?" he huffed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Sage said, trying to be serious and keep from laughing.

"Fine," Clint agreed with a roll of his eyes. He knew that Laura would slap him if she found out he was the reason Sage and Bucky couldn't go out, and it would be his fault if they had another fight or something.

Not wanting to distract him from his work anymore, and hoping that he wouldn't get second thoughts about the schedule change, Sage left Clint alone in the office. She thought about just sitting in the lobby on her phone to pass the time while Steve and Bucky finished their workouts, but she was already there, so why not make the most of that? She attempted working on the elliptical machine, but it was boring, even with the TV screen mounted to the front of it. She could only force herself to stay on the machine for seven minutes before she was bored to death. She disliked machine workouts because of the monotony, and she wasn't enough of a self-starter to be any good at floor workouts or lifting like Steve or Bucky. So she wandered up to the second level to jog around the quarter mile track. She could do that for a while; it was engaging enough to not get _completely_ bored.

While running, Sage kept wondering just how long Steve and Bucky usually worked out. From the looks of them, probably a long time. She didn't think she'd be able to run the whole time they were exercising, so she alternated running and walking laps. She didn't think to count laps until it was already way too late, so she had no idea what kind of distance she covered.

The track wasn't particularly crowded. It was just Sage and probably four other people. It took Sage a little while to realize that someone was coming up behind her, but there was plenty of room for the runner to pass, so she stayed in her lane. The other runner kept getting annoyingly closer and closer, until they were right in Sage's peripheral vision and she thought they were going to run into her. Sage slowed down to look over her shoulder, ready to give the runner a dirty look, then realized with a start that it was Bucky, grinning from ear to ear.

"Asshole!" Sage shouted, swinging her arm out to hit Bucky in the chest, making him laugh, which slowed him down. They slowed to a walk, Bucky laughing, and Sage trying to catch her breath.

"I was standing over there waiting for you," Bucky pointed to an upcoming entry point on the track, "But you ran right by me, so I had to get your attention somehow."

"Next time just wave," Sage panted. She was a sweaty mess. She pulled on the extra material of the oversized shirt, trying to fan herself with it. Something about the added fabric made her even sweatier than usual, which was probably unattractive as hell. Bucky's shirt was stained with sweat, too, so she didn't feel quite so bad about her appearance. Bucky led her off the track and back downstairs to meet up with Steve in the lobby.

"You look like you were productive," Steve said once Bucky and Sage appeared in the lobby.

"Is that code for I'm dripping in sweat?" Sage chuckled, pulling on the shirt sleeve to wipe the sweat off her face.

"Yeah, but that's a good thing," Steve laughed with her. Sage was a little self conscious about how gross she probably looked, and smelled. Bucky didn't give a shit. A little sweat was honestly kind of sexy.

"I think you owe me a juice, by the way," Sage said, turning to Bucky and slapping her hand on his shoulder. She pulled it away immediately, though, once she felt how wet with sweat he was. "Disgusting."

"You're not exactly as fresh as a daisy, either, sweetheart," Bucky shot back playfully.

"I thought you only got juice if you worked out _with_ us," Steve chimed in, to which Sage replied with a glare.

"The deal was I got juice if I came, which I did," she retorted. Bucky opened his mouth, but Sage slapped his arm and said "Don't say what I think you're gonna say." Bucky thought better of his ' _that's what she said_ ' joke, but still laughed at the thought. Steve rolled his eyes, realizing what Sage meant. Bucky was an idiot for thinking that would be a good joke to make about someone he just very recently made up with, but Steve was pretty impressed that Sage could read him so easily.

"I promised juice, so you'll get juice," Bucky conceded, leading the trio towards the in-house smoothie and juice bar. "So what will it be? Grass clippings and kale?" he mocked as they stood in line. Steve went to sit down and go through his phone, leaving his friends in line to bicker over juice.

All of the juices and smoothies on the menu had cutesy names that gave no information about the drink itself. Bucky had absolutely no intention of holding up his end of the bargain, which meant actually trying the disgusting concoction, but then Sage ordered something called a "Happy Healer" and a "Mean Green."

"That's a lot of juice for one person," Bucky commented, handing over a damp ten dollar bill. The cashier was probably used to handling sweaty tender; one of the hazards of working in a gym. The pair stood off to the side to wait for the juices to be pressed.

"You have to try one. I think you'll like it. It's got apples," Sage said, smiling sweetly at him, trying to charm him into the idea of green juices.

"Apples and what?" he asked, kind of dreading the answer.

"If I tell you, you won't drink it," she refused. The cashier called out Sage's name, and she went to retrieve the drinks, punching straws into each lid. They were both green, but one was a very dark green, and one was light colored. Sage already started on hers, and handed the other to Bucky.

"Oh god, why is it warm?" he grimaced as he held the cup in his hand. Wasn't juice supposed to be cold?

"It's not warm, it's room temperature. They literally just blended all of this together," Sage explained. She wasn't new to the juice game. If she had her shit together, she'd actually use the fancy juicer her dad got her last Christmas, but that was a lot of work and buying pre-bottled juice was just so convenient and easy.

"That looks awful," Steve commented, side-eyeing the juices and very glad that he didn't partake in the deal.

"Don't be a baby and try it already," Sage goaded.

"Tell me what's in it first," Bucky bargained, trying to buy more time. The whole situation felt a lot like when his mom tried to force grape flavored cough syrup on him when he was a kid.

"Apple, kale, spinach, lemon, ginger, some other stuff," Sage listed.

"Other stuff like what?"

"Maybe cayenne, I don't remember," Sage lied. She remembered, but she knew Bucky would refuse it if he knew there was some weird stuff like cayenne in the juice. He was already leery of the kale. To her surprise, Bucky made a face and took an experimental first sip.

"It's frothy," he complained.

"But does it taste OK?" Sage pressed.

"I guess," Bucky shrugged. It wasn't as awful as he expected, but it wasn't something he would crave in the future. He definitely wouldn't be able to finish the whole cup. "What's in yours?" he asked, reaching for Sage's cup and taking it to try.

"Oh, you might not-" she started, but he had already taken a sip before she could warn him. "There's jalapeño in it." Bucky choked on the flavor and handed it back to her.

"Fuck," he swore. "That's disgusting."

"How can you _drink_ jalapeño?" Steve asked, both amazed and confused. He wasn't big on the flavor, or spicy things in general. He didn't have much of a spice tolerance, and he knew Bucky didn't really either. At least, not compared to Sage.

"I like jalapeños," Sage shrugged. "I like spicy things."

Sage was glad she ordered the smallest sizes. She finished her drink quickly, but Bucky barely managed to choke down a fourth of his. Not wanting to be wasteful, Sage finished it for him on the way back to the car. Now that it was dark outside, it was freezing. Despite the temperature, though, Sage had to crack the windows in her car to help relieve the pungent smell of sweat. Steve and Bucky had both been completely soaked. Sage could even smell herself.

"I might have to buy you some baking soda to keep in here for a while," Steve mentioned once Sage pulled up in front of their dark house. They hadn't left any lights on.

"We're not taking my car next time," Sage chuckled at Steve's offer. She knew the smell would air out over the next few days, that there wouldn't be any permanent damage. Probably.

"Well, thanks for driving," Steve said, unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing out of the parked car. Bucky unbuckled his own seatbelt but hesitated to leave. Sensing that his friend needed a second alone with Sage, Steve said his goodbyes and went into the house.

"We still on for Friday, even if I stank up your car?" Bucky asked. He had been serious about that date, and he wasn't about to let Sage leave without confirming it.

"Of course," Sage answered matter-of-factly. She wouldn't miss it. "I promise I'll wash your shirt and give it back to you, too."

"It's old, it doesn't really matter," Bucky shrugged. He didn't really care about the shirt. He had a million of them. It was kind of a really big turn on, anyway, to see her in his clothes. It would be hotter if it was the morning after and the shirt was the _only_ thing she wore, but this worked, too.

"I'm still gonna wash it," she said. She'd probably try to return it to him, anyway. Or forget about it and lose it in the bottom of her t-shirt drawer. Had she not sweated in it, she probably would have kept it without even pretending to try and return it. Before the workout, it smelled like him. It still kind of did, faintly, but was mostly drowned out by Sage's own stench.

Bucky was at war with himself. He couldn't decide if he should kiss her goodbye or not. Was it too soon? He wanted to. But they literally just made up. But on the other hand, they were going out on a date in two days, and they've kissed before. A lot. On his way out of the car, he made a last minute decision on a quick peck. Nothing crazy, but a good step above a friendly handshake.

"I'll see you Friday," he said as he pulled away and stepped out of the car. She smiled after him.

"See ya," she waved, and he closed the door, smiling back at her. He watched her drive down the street and hurried inside, because he was kind of soaking wet and it was freezing outside. And _good lord_ , did he really smell that fucking _awful_? He caught a whiff of himself and cringed, thinking he had an awful lot of balls to try and kiss someone while smelling the way he did.


	20. Set Me Free

Yikes. I was gone for a while, wasn't I? I suffered a pretty bad wrist injury, which made typing up a story damn near impossible. But better late than never, right?

Review if you'd like. Give me hell for taking so long to churn this chapter out.

"Set Me Free" by the Kinks

* * *

Getting dressed and ready for the date was actually pretty easy. Bucky told her to dress casually and comfortably, which to her definitely meant jeans. She had some guesses as to where he would take her; probably just a casual night out at one of the bars nearby. He didn't seem like a grand romantic gesture, or an elegant meal at a fancy restaurant kind of guy. And to be fair, Sage wasn't that kind of girl either. Not that she didn't appreciate attention or a good steak; she didn't expect it and it wouldn't win any favor.

After dressing in a comfortable pair of form-fitting jeans that only had a few holes and distressed spots on them, a thin olive sweater, boots with a low chunky heel, and her shearling-lined denim jacket, Sage sat down in her plaid chair to wait for Bucky to arrive. While waiting, Sharon arrived home, arms loaded down with a stack of books.

"Did you leave any books in the library for the rest of us?" Sage teased as Sharon dropped the stack of books onto the coffee table in front of her.

"I hate my professor," Sharon huffed, ignoring Sage's comment. "Who even uses books anymore?" she said frustrated as she shucked her coat and sat down heavily on the couch.

"Yeah, no kidding," Sage agreed, reaching for one of the books. The thing looked like it was as old as she was.

"He decided that it's important for us to know how to research with books, instead of the internet, so I have to write an entire research paper with just _books_ ," Sharon explained.

"Does he know what year it is?" Sage laughed. The whole premise seemed silly. "As if Millennials don't know how to use a book?"

"Most of the information in these books is probably out of date by now, anyway," Sharon continued to vent. She turned to look at Sage fully for the first time since walking in. "Shouldn't you get ready for you date soon?"

"I am ready. He should be here in a few minutes," Sage told her.

"Pretty casual," Sharon observed, withholding judgment. She knew her and Sage's styles were totally different, but sometimes it was hard to not tell her how she'd dress if it were _her_ date.

"He told me to dress casually, so good," Sage smiled. She knew how she dressed sometimes bothered Sharon.

"Can I fix up your makeup really quick? Nothing crazy," Sharon offered, shifting to the edge of her seat. She was actually really excited for Sage, and for Bucky. She was happy that they were finally going on a real date by themselves. She was a little bummed that she missed the whole getting ready part, so she wanted to offer the last minute help.

"Do I need it?" Sage asked, suddenly a little self-conscious. Maybe she looked like she wasn't taking it seriously? Maybe she was a little _too_ casual?

"You look great, but you want to look a _little_ special," Sharon said, getting up from the couch and heading into the bathroom. She came out a second later with a few things in her hands. She held the items up to show Sage that it was a tube of liquid eyeliner, a little pot of some kind of shimmery powder, and a tube of lip gloss.

"Make it quick. He should literally be here any minute," Sage said, relenting to the idea and scooting up in her seat and tilting her face up towards Sharon. Sharon was a pro at the perfect liquid line, especially on other people. She lined the tops of Sage's lids easily, and finished them off with a subtle little cat eye effect. She dipped her finger in the pot of shimmery powder and tapped her fingertip lightly across the tops of Sage's cheekbones for a subtle highlight.

"Much better," Sharon said satisfactorily, just as Sage's phone rang. It rang once before Sage answered.

"Hey," she said in a very friendly tone, smiling widely. Sharon guessed it was Bucky. "OK, I'll be right down," she said quickly, then hung up. "He's downstairs and cant find a parking spot. I gotta go," Sage explained, jumping out of her seat and grabbing her purse from the floor next to the chair.

"Here!" Sharon shoved the tube of lip gloss at her before she could run out of the door. "Have fun! Make good choices!"

Sage all but ran down the stairs, too eager to wait for the elevator. She was outside and walking to Bucky's waiting car in no time, and she was almost surprised at how excited she was.

"That was fast," Bucky laughed as Sage climbed into the front seat of his car.

"It smells really good in here," Sage observed, ignoring Bucky's comment.

"I cleaned it earlier," he shrugged. "I also took a shower."

"Well, you both clean up really nice," Sage complimented, looking around the car interior to appreciate the cleanup job, until her eyes landed on him. He looked good, too. He was wearing dark jeans and a buttoned up shirt with a dark gray plaid pattern under a black field jacket. His hair was pushed back behind his ears, and Sage resisted the urge to untuck it, then re-tuck it. She resisted the urge to put her hands in his hair in general. He had really tempting hair.

"Thank you," he grinned. "So do you. Are you actually wearing eyeliner?" he asked as he pulled away from the curb.

"Wow, you noticed," Sage laughed. "Sharon did it. I don't have a very steady hand when it comes to that," she confessed.

"Yeah, you don't usually wear a lot of makeup, do you?" he asked. Not that she needed it. He wasn't totally clueless when it came to makeup. He knew that most of the time, when he saw girls, they were wearing makeup. He didn't understand all of the different kinds of makeup, but he knew the difference between a natural face and natural-looking makeup.

"I don't. It's not too much is it? She did it literally as I was walking out the door and I didn't get a chance to look in a mirror," Sage resisted the urge to pull down the sun visor to look in the mirror. She didn't want to come off as self-conscious or fixated on her looks.

"You look good," Bucky encouraged.

"Real good?" she pushed, jokingly.

" _Real_ good," he confirmed, making Sage laugh loudly. He liked the sound of her laugh. She wasn't embarrassed to laugh loudly, she didn't try to control or constrain it. Usually when she laughed, it was loud and genuine, a full-bodied expression.

"You look _real_ good, too," Sage complimented, turning in her seat to face him, resting her arm along the center console.

"You're gonna make me blush," he joked.

"So where are we going?" Sage asked. She was curious, had been since he asked her out, to see where he'd take her. She didn't really expect much, simply because she didn't know what to expect. He could take her to a taco truck again and she'd be over the moon. He could take her to eat ice cream sandwiches sitting on the curb of a convenience store and she'd be delighted.

"It might be kind of cheesy, but I think you'll like it," he told her, revealing absolutely no information.

"Is it a surprise?" she pressed.

"Kind of," he shrugged. It wasn't a huge surprise, really. He didn't rent out an entire restaurant or charter a hot air balloon ride, but his plan was a little out of the ordinary for a first date, which he had a feeling Sage would appreciate. He knew she'd probably be happy at any one of the bars in town, or even with just pizza and a case of beer at his place, but he had a feeling she'd really like this plan of his.

As Bucky merged into a turning lane, a bright neon sign caught Sage's attention, and immediately she knew where he was taking her.

"Oh my god," she said excitedly, making Bucky grin from ear to fucking ear. "You're kidding me. No fucking way," she continued, laughing to herself.

"Why did I know you'd like this?" Bucky laughed, mostly to himself, as he pulled into the parking lot of a brightly painted roller skating rink.

"Is this really where we're going?" Sage asked, confirming before she let herself get really excited.

"Yeah, we're here," Bucky laughed. The smile on Sage's face was so big, and her eyes lit up like sparklers. She leaned over the center console and kissed him quickly, then flew out of the car. She waited impatiently for Bucky to catch up, then grabbed his hand to tug him along faster towards the entrance.

"You're wearing socks, right? I brought extra in my car just in case you're not," he asked before they reached the front door. The thought of Bucky bringing extra socks in case she didn't was sweet. So, so sweet.

"I'm good," she answered. Bucky paid the small entrance fee at the front door. Once inside, they were assaulted with neon lights, disco balls, the glow of black lights, and 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA on full blast. The skate rental booth was right by the door.

"Inline or traditional?" Sage asked Bucky, as if the fate of the date and their relationship depended on his answer.

"I used to have a pair of inline skates, actually," he said, not really answering the question. He'd never really been to a roller rink before. For a brief period around the age of 11 or 12, he and Steve were really into Tony Hawk and all things skating. His parents got him a pair of inline skates for his birthday. He used them maybe four times, then skinned his knees, hands, and chin, and the skates were retired for good.

"Well, you cant inline skate to ABBA, so traditional it is," Sage told him. He relented and ordered a pair of bright orange traditional skates with pink wheels in his size. Sage's were lemon yellow with lime green wheels. They shoved their shoes, jackets, and Sage's purse into a locker, and Bucky stuffed the key into his back pocket.

Once Bucky had his skates on, he was starting to think that maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go skating. He didn't know what he was doing, and he would probably fall at least once. Sage stood up a bit shakily from the bench, having laced her skates on faster. She carefully scooted herself across the outer-space themed carpet, getting comfortable on the wheels. Bucky very carefully stood up, arms spread out wide for balance. Sage wasted no time and took off for the nearest entrance to the rink, leaving Bucky slowly shuffling after her.

"Have you done this before?" Sage asked, turning around to watch Bucky's slow approach and laugh at the look of pure concentration on his face. He was desperate to not fall so early in the game.

"I was literally half my age the last time I did this," he answered, finally catching up to Sage. Thankfully, the rink wasn't super full. There were a few families and a group of teenage girls who looked like they were there for a birthday.

"There's no shame in one of those," Sage said, pointing to a passing kid, who was pushing along a makeshift walker on wheels.

"We'll see how it goes," Bucky said, gripping onto the side railing to pull himself onto the wooden floor of the rink.

"Are you regretting this?" Sage teased.

"So much," he confessed, making her laugh. He tried to stand up straight and let go of the railing, but he had no idea how to get moving without threatening his balance. Sage reached out her hand, and he reluctantly took it. She was much more confident on wheels than he was, but she was still a bit wobbly. "If you take me down with you, I'm not buying you nachos," he warned.

"If I take you down with me, then I'll buy you nachos," she countered. Sage started off slow, pulling Bucky along behind her. Just keeping his skates pointed in the right direction was hard, but so far things were good. Going in a straight line was good. He dreaded the upcoming curve, though.

"Just know that if you fall, I won't think less of you," Sage promised. "But I might laugh," she added.

"I wouldn't blame you," he said. They went around the rink twice before Bucky felt confident enough to actually pick up some momentum. Now that they were going a bit faster, Sage let go of Bucky's hand so that they wouldn't get in each other's way. She was definitely a lot braver than he was, because she practically took off like a shot as soon as he wasn't weighing her down. She lapped him once, then at the second lap, she slowed down to coast next to him.

"You're looking good!" Sage encouraged Bucky. He was starting to look a bit more comfortable, and way less scared. The worried look he got whenever anyone skated near him started to disappear. He briefly glanced her way and smiled, too scared to keep his eyes off of his immediate path for too long. A second later, he heard a yelp and a thud. He looked over his shoulder to see Sage in a heap on the floor. She sat up, laughing. Something about the sudden movement of looking back made Bucky lose his balance, and suddenly he was on the floor, too. One second he was gliding along, then in a swirl of neon lights, he was on the floor. He landed sharply on his right hip, his feet having flown out from underneath him. He took a second to get his bearings back, and then realized he had no idea how to stand back up, seeing as how his shoes had fucking wheels on them.

Bucky could hear Sage's loud laughter over the thumping of the song 'Brick House.' He turned to see her being helped up by an employee, laughing the whole time. He couldn't help but laugh, too, as Sage and the teenage boy in the referee outfit made their way towards him, Sage gripping the kid's shoulder.

"You OK?" the kid asked as she leaned over to help Bucky up. Sage let go of his shoulder to support Bucky, holding onto his hips once he was up on his feet.

"Thanks, man," he said to the kid, who saluted and skated away. Bucky wrapped an arm around Sage, pulling her to his side, both of them still stationary, honestly too scared to start moving again.

"You fell like a sack of bricks," Sage snorted, gripping tightly to Bucky's shirt with both hands.

"What happened to you, huh? One minute you're sailing by, and the next you're on your ass," he teased.

"I got cocky and tripped over my own feet," she confessed.

"I think it's time for nachos," Bucky said, kind of eager to get off the floor. He didn't want to fall anymore.

"Nuh-uh!" Sage started. "We have to get back on the horse!" she said determinedly. She loosened her grip on Bucky and carefully positioned her feet. "One more lap," she bargained.

"Oh, fine," Bucky sighed. He had to admit that he liked her attitude, but he really was ready for nachos. He and Sage carefully got their momentum back and did a slow, cautious lap around the rink, before taking a long break for food. Bucky had Sage pick a table while he went up to the concession counter to order. He approached the table very slowly and carefully, holding a tray loaded down with food and drinks, careful not to spill or drop anything. He set the tray down on the table first before sitting down, and heaved a sigh of relief once he was off his feet.

"Wow, no lids. I'm very impressed," Sage laughed as she unloaded the tray.

"I didn't think about lids until it was too late, and I wasn't confident enough to turn around and get them," he admitted. Bucky had gotten them each their own order of nachos, Sage's with extra slices of jalapenos. He also got two sodas, two hot dogs, and a bag of blue cotton candy, which had been a last minute addition based on a whim, something else that he didn't have any concrete reason to think so, but seemed like something Sage would like and appreciate.

"Blue is definitely the best kind," Sage said approvingly as she untied the bag of cotton candy, taking a chunk of it before any of the other food. She knew there wasn't a difference between pink and blue cotton candy, that it all tasted the same, but she still had a preference.

"I thought you'd like it," Bucky smiled, tearing the foil off of his hot dog to load it up with condiments. Sage alternated between her hot dog and the nachos, while Bucky ate his hotdog first. He'd even known to get her a Doctor Pepper, which she drained pretty quickly because of the high salt content of their food.

"So what are you doing tomorrow?" Sage asked while they ate. She didn't have a particular reason to ask. She was just curious.

"Steve and I are actually going to the football game tomorrow," Bucky answered, though he didn't seem super excited about it. Sage remembered a previous conversation about sports, and how football was very low on Bucky's list of interests.

"It's the homecoming game, isn't it?" Sage asked, remembering seeing posters and signs around campus all week. Despite being from Texas, the land of Friday night lights, she wasn't huge on the sport. Her dad was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, but they hadn't had a good season in years. She went to a couple games at her old school her freshman year, simply because everyone else did; it was just the thing to do. In high school, games were a huge social event, and she probably attended most home games. Being a small private school that was in a league made up entirely of other small private schools, the teams weren't very good and the games weren't particularly exciting. High school football games were just a good few hours to get out of the house and drink cheap tequila that someone's older brother bought, out of Whataburger cups. And then usually there would be a party after the game, where everyone would drink even more cheap liquor and stolen beer.

"Yeah, which I normally don't care about, but one of Steve's friends is on the team. He promised him he'd go, and somehow now I'm going, too," Bucky explained, shrugging.

"Woah, Steve has other friends?" Sage joked. Mostly. She thought she knew all of Steve's friends.

"I've never actually met him either. Sam's going, too. I'm sure they would be cool if you came," Bucky offered.

"Are y'all tailgating?" Sage asked. That would be the deciding factor.

"I don't think so," he answered.

"Well count me out. That's the whole reason to even go to a football game. Get some food and get drunk, and then go home after half-time because you're too drunk and tired," Sage explained, laying out the proper way to do a tailgate. For every football game she's ever been to, she never lasted an entire game if she tailgated beforehand. The suggestion made Bucky laugh, though he didn't much like the idea of going to bed drunk in the middle of the afternoon.

"Not a bad plan, but Thor is having a party after the game that Steve wants to go to," Bucky said. The mention of the name 'Thor' made Sage snort and choke on her Doctor Pepper.

"I'm sorry, who?" she asked, both laughing and coughing. The snorting and coughing fit made Bucky smile.

"Steve's friend, Thor," Bucky clarified. He really did say Thor.

"Who names their kid Thor?" Sage asked incredulously. Seriously?

"His parents," Bucky chuckled. Yeah, Thor was kind of a weird name.

"Poor kid," Sage said, feeling for the guy. His childhood couldn't have been easy with a name like that.

"He's got a brother with a crazy name, too. I can't remember what, though," Bucky continued.

"Don't tell me its Loki," Sage joked.

"Oh, yeah, actually that's it," Bucky laughed at Sage's horrified expression.

"I don't know which is worse, honestly," she laughed.

"Remember you're sitting across the table from someone that willingly has people call him 'Bucky'," he teasingly warned. Bucky wasn't ignorant of how odd his name was, even if it was just a nickname. Sure, he could easily start going by James, but nobody ever called him that, and it seemed a little late in life to make the change. James didn't even really feel like his real name. It felt more like the suit that sat in the back of his closet that he kept around for the very, very rare formal occasion. It was technically his, but he only ever pulled it out for special occasions, like court.

"That's different," Sage defended Bucky. It wasn't like his parents actually legally named him that.

"Anyway, Steve will probably want to go to the party. They're apparently legendary," Bucky continued back on the original topic of conversation.

"You don't want to go?" Sage guessed, noting Bucky's particular wording. She knew he wasn't big on parties anyway, especially with people he didn't know. He shrugged and sipped at his soda.

"Not really," he answered, punctuating with a shrug.

"Well, if you end up not going and you wanna hang out, text me or something," Sage suggested, trying to sound casual. "I'll probably just be studying." Bucky looked up from his food and smiled at her, appreciating the gesture. Hanging out with her, even if he just sat on her sofa, playing on his phone while she read some boring art book, sounded way better than Thor's party.

"I might take you up on that," Bucky replied. They smiled at each other and continued eating, talking about _The Sopranoes_ and what classes they were going to pick for spring semester.

Bucky would have been just fine if they left the roller rink after eating, but Sage wanted to keep skating. She was having fun, even if she was a little sore from her fall. She made Bucky promise he'd go five more times around the rink with her. As he carefully stood up from his seat and ambled back towards the entrance to the rink, following Sage, he almost laughed to himself. Yes, he thought that this might be a good semester to start dating again, but this wasn't what he had in mind. It was better, though. Falling and laughing and eating crappy nachos in a neon painted roller rink with Sage was a million times better than the boring dinner dates or getting drinks with one of Natasha's friends he had imagined.

Bucky was out of his comfort zone a little bit here. Sage made it less scary and obvious that he was on unfamiliar ground, but she wasn't the one drawing him out of his little bubble. He had ventured out of that cave all on his own; he'd suggested the roller skating, he'd opened himself up to her enough to let her in, he'd agreed to go to a cowboy bar and fucking dance. He was saying yes a lot more than he used to, and it felt pretty good, if he was being honest. His old therapist would be so proud.

Although she promised only five more laps, Sage was having too good a time to leave so soon. She kept Bucky distracted as best she could, hoping he wasn't keeping count. He was keeping count, and he could also tell that she was trying to keep him from doing so. Something about the extra attention she was giving him, and how happy she seemed, how much fun with him she seemed to be having, made Bucky let it go. He happily skated around with her until she finally decided she'd had enough.

Walking around in their shoes felt weird, after having been on wheels for the past two hours. They turned in their skates and Sage hooked her arm around Bucky's as they left the building and walked towards Bucky's car.

"Hey, wait!" Sage stopped in her tracks and tugged on Bucky's arm to get him to stop, too. He looked back at her, confused. She was smiling and pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket. "We have to take a picture," she told him, as if he were forgetting something obvious.

"Of what?" he asked dumbly. She ignored his question and pulled on him, positioning him right next to her. She leaned into him and held her phone out at arm's length. It took her a minute to determine the best angle. She wanted to get both of their faces and the retro-style neon sign above the doors of the skating rink, but she also wanted to avoid giving them both double chins.

Bucky wasn't much of a picture person lately, but he indulged her. He pulled his arm out from her grasp and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, pulling Sage in even closer. He even smiled when she took a series of photos.

"Beautiful," Sage said approvingly, swiping through the pictures.

"I know I am," Bucky joked, fishing his car keys out of his pocket as they continued on to the car.

"Yes, I'm so lucky to have you," Sage laughed. Her grin was infectious, and Bucky couldn't help mirroring it.

As they climbed into the car, it occurred to Bucky that he didn't know what to do next. He hadn't planned this far. He didn't think he'd need to. He assumed he would just take her home after skating, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to stop hanging out. They already ate, so he couldn't suggest a late dinner. If he asked her back to his place, would that be weird? Would she think he was being presumptuous, trying to get into her pants? He kind of was, though. Or, well, he wanted to. He also couldn't remember what Steve's plans were for the night. Was he out or was he at home? Did it matter?

"Wanna get a milkshake or something?" Sage asked suddenly, unknowingly throwing Bucky a life preserver.

"What kind of milkshake?" he asked while mentally thanking the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. He had pulled out of the roller rink parking lot and was driving in the general direction of their homes with no real plan.

"A chocolate malt, I think," Sage answered, sounding pretty confident in her choice.

"That actually sounds pretty good," he agreed.

"Copy cat," she teased, shooting him a smirk. Bucky drove to the nearest fast food place and pulled into their drive through line, which was actually pretty long. It was too late for the dinner rush, but still too early for the late night crowd. Normally, Bucky probably would have just driven away, not wanting to wait in the line, but he had decent company.

"So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?" he asked as he shifted a bit in the drivers seat to face Sage.

"I don't know," she shrugged and frowned. "My dad wants me to go home but I don't know that I want to."

"I don't think I'm going home either," he told her.

"Why not?" she asked, sounding surprised. She knew why _she_ didn't want to go home for the break, but she thought Bucky actually liked his family. He shrugged, too.

"It's too short a break to be worth it," he said. "Plus plane tickets are a fucking fortune and I don't think my car would make the drive," he added.

"It's like, three days off. It would take that long to drive," Sage said, adding to his points. "And like, what's the point if the semester is over two weeks later and then it's Christmas?"

"Exactly! And Steve's staying, too, so it'll just be like a long weekend," he said.

"Sharon's going on a cruise with her parents," Sage told him. "So I'll have the apartment to myself. I can smoke cigars in my underwear in peace," she joked. Bucky chuckled at the imagery.

"Or you can hang out with us," Bucky suggested. "Steve and I are probably going to have a mini Thanksgiving."

"I'll bring the pecan pie," Sage offered brightly.

"Only if you're OK with eating the whole thing by yourself," Bucky scoffed. He liked Sage and all, but he definitely didn't like pecan pie.

"OK, then what do you eat for dessert at Thanksgiving?" Sage asked.

"My mom makes apple pie," he started. "Steve's mom used to make the _best_ apple pie, and my mom uses her recipe, but it's not the same." He punctuated with a shrug, trying to shake off the weird feeling of talking about Steve's deceased mother with Sage. It was a simple, inoccuous tidbit of he and Steve's history, but it was also deeply personal. It was strange, though not necessarily in a bad way, to let Sage in on tradition. Opening up created a fleeting sense of vulnerability, which Sage quickly chased away.

"My mom loved to bake. Her tradition was rhubarb pie at Thanksgiving," Sage offered with surprising ease. "My dad never liked rhubarb so she would make him his own pecan pie."

Suddenly Sage felt a little jealous of Steve. They were both only children that lost their mothers. But Steve had Bucky and his family. How lucky Steve was to have a friend like Bucky. The drive through line started to move just in time. It occurred to Sage that she hadn't had a single bite of a rhubarb pie since the last Thanksgiving she had with her mother, and suddenly she felt a little choked up. Bucky turning his attention to the speaker to place their order of two chocolate malts and an order of fries gave Sage a quick second to pull her shit together.

The line of cars moved quicker now, and soon Bucky and Sage were sipping on their malts. "Thank god you got fries. Can't have a malt without fries," Sage gushed, plucking a couple of fries from the container resting in the cup holder.

"I've eaten out with you enough to know to always get the fries," he confessed with a chuckle. Sage smiled to herself. She watched him as he drove, sipping at his shake every so often. He really was sweet.

"You wanna come over? Watch a movie or something?" Sage asked suddenly on a whim. She didn't want the night to be over just yet. Bucky seemed surprised by the offer and struggled with his answer. Did Sage mean watch a movie or _watch a movie_?

"Yeah, sure," Bucky shrugged. He was already driving in the direction of Sage's apartment and was racking his brain with what to do next. But he worried about scaring her off by going to fast, or going too slow, or being presumptuous, or not taking initiative.

"Sharon might be home working on a paper, but she won't mind," Sage told him as he pulled onto her street. Somehow that was a relief. If Sharon was home, that kind of took the pressure off of him. He wouldn't try anything while she was there, and didn't think Sage would want to either. It was a little disappointing, but he at least knew what to expect. No guess work.

"You sure she won't mind?" Bucky asked. If Sharon was working on a paper, she might not want to have company. Sharon was pretty intense when it came to school and Bucky didn't want to invoke her wrath.

"I'll protect you," Sage teased. Bucky found a parking spot on the street and followed Sage into the apartment building. They'd finished the fries, but were each still sipping on their malts.

Sage carefully and quietly opened her apartment door, just in case Sharon was either working on her research or asleep. Sharon was sitting on the floor, using the coffee table as her desk, surrounded by open books and pieces of paper. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and smiled broadly at the sight of Sage and Bucky.

"You two are back early. It's not even ten," Sharon greeted the couple. She was glad for the interruption and pleased at the sight of Bucky in her apartment. Sage had invited him back, so obviously things went well.

"Can't keep her past curfew," Bucky joked. He threw away his now empty cup and sat down in Sage's plaid chair. "What the hell are you reading?" he grabbed one of Sharon's book and flipped through the behemoth. It looked exceptionally boring.

"It's called a book," Sharon shot back smartly. "What did you guys do?" she changed the subject to something much more interesting than her paper.

"He took my roller skating," Sage answered with a big smile. Sharon glanced at Bucky who looked quite proud of himself.

"Did you fall?" Sharon laughed. She never would have guessed that they'd go roller skating, but it seemed perfect for Sage, just right up her alley.

"Of course," Sage said before Bucky could deny anything. "Right on his ass."

"I wasn't the only one, if I recall," Bucky countered. Sage smiled and rolled her eyes. She sat down on the arm of her plaid chair, and Bucky wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her closer. Sharon shrewdly watched the movement.

"What are you guys up to now? I think some of the guys are out at one of the bars," Sharon suggested. She really didn't care if Sage and Bucky stayed at the apartment or left.

Sage and Bucky both shrugged and looked at each other. Clearly they didn't really have a plan. Sage couldn't decide if going out and meeting up with some of their friends would be good or not. Of course it would be fun, that wasn't a doubt. But involving their friends kind of muddied the waters of their date, didn't it? Bucky and Sage obviously worked together amongst their group of friends, but did they work privately, just the two of them? So far, yeah, but she selfishly wanted to explore that a bit more.

"I don't know, I kind of just want to take off my shoes and watch _Jurassic Park_ ," Sage answered, deciding to take charge of the night. She figured Bucky would've been good with anything she said.

"Really, _Jurassic Park_?" Bucky laughed. Sharon rolled her eyes. She knew full well that Sage had seen that movie a million times, she could probably act out the entire movie herself with no script.

What? It's a good movie!" Sage defended her choice. Yeah, she really genuinely liked the movie, but also she wouldn't be upset if she missed any of it in case something else started happening. Something else being making out with Bucky, or whatever that may lead to.

"Alright, fine. But you better have popcorn," Bucky conceded. Sage smiled triumphantly and hopped off of the chair arm and out of Bucky's grip.

"You want anything while I'm in here, Sharon?" Sage called from the kitchen, pulling out a bag of popcorn from the cupboard.

"Give me a little bit of that popcorn and bring me my headphones from my nightstand," Sharon answered.

"Don't be gross, Sharon," Bucky joked.

"Look, I don't wanna hear some dinosaur roaring. And I certainly don't want to hear you two flirting or _whatever_ ," Sharon explained herself. Obviously she didn't want to hear anything going on between Sage and Bucky, and she most certainly didn't want to talk about it, either. They could do whatever they pleased in Sage's bedroom with the door closed, so long as Sharon didn't have to hear it.

"Yes ma'am," Sage giggled. She disappeared into Sharon's room briefly, and came out holding Sharon's expensive noise canceling headphones. She passed them to her roommate and went back to stand watch in front of the microwave, waiting for the perfect moment to pull it out. Popping a good bag of popcorn was an art and Sage was a master. She had trained her ear to distinguish the perfect moment to remove the bag.

Once the popcorn was done, Sage divided the bag between a small cereal bowl for Sharon and a large bowl for the rest of the snack. Bucky grabbed two beers from the fridge and followed Sage into her bedroom after bidding Sharon good night.

Bucky removed his jacket and kicked off his shoes, then settled on top of Sage's bed. Sage grabbed her laptop and pulled up the movie, which she had long ago illegally downloaded. She kicked her shoes off into the floor of her closet and quickly changed into a pair of comfortable leggings while Bucky tried to keep his eyes on his phone. He didn't want to ogle her, but if she really cared, she probably wouldn't have changed her pants right in front of him, right? He was sick of the second guessing and questioning himself and wished that he could just skip this part of the relationship and go straight to being one hundred percent comfortable with each other. Well, Sage seemed pretty comfortable. Maybe it was Bucky that needed to settle in.

Sage turned on the small lamp on her desk and turned off the overhead light, creating the perfect light level for watching a movie on her laptop. They both got comfortable against the pillows and Sage began the movie. The popcorn disappeared quickly, and they exchanged little comments here and there.

Just as the group of scientists go out on a tour of the park, before encountering the storm and the T-Rex, Sage steals a glance at Bucky. And then another. The second time she looked, he looked back. And then suddenly they were kissing. It started slow and cautious, there wasn't any hurry or sense of urgency. Bucky's hands were in Sage's hair, and her hands were pulling at the collar of his button-up.

As the movie wore on, things intensified. There'd be tugging on clothes and hair, lip biting, wandering hands, and then the movie would make a loud noise, they'd both jump in surprise, and slowly start all over again. Sometime around the velociraptors in the kitchen scene, the laptop got slammed closed and put on the floor.

Sometimes Sage was on her back, Bucky hovering over her, and then somehow she'd roll out from under him, pushing him onto his back. Sage had pulled Bucky's belt free and thrown it to the floor ages ago, and took an agonizingly long time trying to unbutton his shirt. Each time she'd get one button undone, Bucky would move a certain way, or put his hand somewhere, and Sage would completely forget what she was trying to do. The shirt did eventually wind up on the floor, along with his socks.

Bucky was a bit more reverent. His hands spent most of their time under Sage's sweater, pulling at the waistband of her leggings, or traveling up and down the length of her legs, but he never actually removed any of her clothing.

Sage felt completely alive and one hundred percent on fire. Her blood was rushing and her face was flushed. Was she sweating a lot? Probably, though she didn't much care. Her heart rate was high and catching her breath was kind of hard because she was just downright giddy. Things eventually slowed down, though not because she was tired. There was a silent agreement that this wasn't the night, it seemed. Sage and Bucky curled into each other, legs and arms wrapped around each other. By the time the sun started peaking through the eyelet lace curtains, Sage would've guessed she barely slept a wink all night because her mind wouldn't stop racing with thoughts of Bucky. Thoughts of _wow that just happened_. And she just couldn't stop smiling.


End file.
